No one stops Panther RB Christian McCaffrey like the Buccaneers. Can they do it again?
If you wanted to see Christian McCaffrey look human, you only had to watch him run against Tampa Bay last season.
In terms of yardage, the Panthers’ franchise running back had the worst two games of his record-setting season in 2019. The numbers were so un-McCaffrey they seem like a misprint, but defensive coordinator Todd Bowles had obviously decided that his unit will stop No. 22 at the expense of everything else.
The Bucs will undoubtedly do that again Sunday, daring Carolina to beat them with anybody else besides McCaffrey.
How the Panthers’ offensive line plays Sunday will be the key to Carolina’s shot at an upset. McCaffrey was hit in the backfield over and over against Tampa Bay last year, gaining just 31 yards on 22 carries in one game and 37 yards on 16 carries in the other. Even when you add in his reception yardage, McCaffrey averaged only 55 total yards per game in 2019 against Tampa Bay — but 163 total yards against everybody else. And he couldn’t pick up a game-on-the-line fourth-and-1 at the Tampa Bay 2 in Week 2 last season, in what turned out to be the last game Cam Newton ever played for the Panthers.
Said Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians Wednesday on defending McCaffrey: “You have to gang-tackle and get to him because he’s a threat to break one and take it to the house every time. Todd Bowles does a great job of scheming. It’s always an all-day chore, but we were lucky last year.”
The Bucs weren’t just lucky. They’re good. Tampa Bay was the NFL’s No. 1 rush defense last season and should threaten to repeat in that accolade.
The Panthers will need to find McCaffrey in space in the passing game Sunday to open up the rush lanes — and will also need a big game out of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and at least two receivers — to have a chance to win.
▪ I loved coach Matt Rhule’s line about McCaffrey’s photo shoot for GQ, which showed a shirtless McCaffrey in various poses. Rhule said he only wished someone would ask him to pose like that.
▪ The best line of the past week, though, came from a mic’ed-up Robby Anderson asking fellow wide receiver DJ Moore “What’s that bear doing?” when pointing out the Panthers’ longtime mascot Sir Purr in the otherwise empty stands. That clip made the national rounds.
It was the most publicity Sir Purr has gotten since he once downed a live-ball punt in the end zone in a critical season finale against Pittsburgh in Charlotte in 1996. Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher doubled over in laughter at the replay, although Carolina coach Dom Capers never cracked a smile because he was worried the Panthers would be penalized (they weren’t). ESPN later ran a graphic with the highlight that read:
SIR PURR.
Punt returns: One.
Yards: Zero.
▪ Prediction time. I picked Carolina to lose by four points to the Las Vegas Raiders last week, and lose by four they did (however, my score was slightly off).
I don’t think Tom Brady is going to have two bad games in a row. I do think Joe Brady — this game is so full of Brady storylines — will figure out a way to score on the Bucs.
So let’s go with another shootout, but also another Panthers’ loss. My pick: Tampa Bay 33, Carolina 27.
