Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Week 16
The Carolina Panthers’ final home game of the 2021 season sees them welcome the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Not exactly the easiest of propositions in their bid to send fans home happy.
It might also be Cam Newton’s final game in front of fans who’ve adored him for years unless an extension is in the offing.
This is an NFC South divisional game where form normally goes out of the window. But the Buccaneers beat the Panthers convincingly twice last season and the fact they kept all their title-winning roster around means that more of the same could be coming Matt Rhule’s way.
However, Newton has enjoyed plenty of success against Tom Brady in the past, so the end result might not be that clear-cut.
It could be a nice benchmark for the Panthers if nothing else. A sign of how far they’ve come since 2020 or how much work they still need to do before emerging as postseason challengers.
Tampa should be there or thereabouts once when it’s all said and done.
Brady is playing at an MVP level despite his advancing years. Although their defense has struggled on occasions, head coach Bruce Arians should be getting some key personnel back in the not-too-distant future.
Carolina’s fans have had it tough so far this season. Cheering losing football is hard work, but a result like this against the defending champions and with Newton leading the charge would leave them plenty of reasons to be encouraged.