As the 2024 season draws to a close, the Carolina Panthers will look to continue to play the role of spoiler in Week 17 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After ending the playoff aspirations of Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals in the Panthers' home, Dave Canales’ men will have a huge say in the NFC South winner. Facing both the Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons to close out the campaign, Carolina could ruin someone's postseason plans.
Despite mustering just four wins this season, we’ve seen clear improvement over the last seven contests. If the Panthers can win out and finish with six wins, they’d triple their total from a year ago.
The Panthers face a Buccaneers team they met just three weeks ago. Despite dominating for three quarters, self-inflicted mistakes meant that despite Bryce Young's best efforts, Carolina fell in overtime.
They’ll feel confident as Canales makes his first return to the team he left to become the Panthers' head coach earlier this year. The focus is shifting to next season and seeing what certain players can offer heading into the offseason. That doesn't mean anything less than maximum effort will be tolerated.
Eyes will once again be on Young. The second-year quarterback bounced back from a tough matchup with the Dallas Cowboys with a sterling effort versus the Cardinals. Another strong outing in this one would all but guarantee his starting status in 2025.
An interesting afternoon awaits. Before then, here are four bold predictions for the Panthers' penultimate game of the 2024 campaign.
Bold predictions for the Carolina Panthers in Week 17 at the Buccaneers
Chuba Hubbard goes over 150 yards rushing again
The hallmark of a good player is their ability to bounce back from adversity. After his game-changing fumble in Week 13, running back Chuba Hubbard has been relatively quiet in the two weeks that followed. That changed against the Arizona Cardinals.
The former Oklahoma State star notched up 152 rushing yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns, including the game-winning score in overtime. Carolina's ground game was dominant, notching up 243 yards against an Arizona defense that had improved in recent weeks.
Dave Canales' philosophy is to remain stubborn with the run. His naivety as a play-caller has come to fruition at times this season as Carolina was quick to move away from the ground game facing a deficit. But the Arizona game proved how important it is to have success.
Despite facing a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive line anchored by stud nose tackle Vita Vea, they must once again remain stubborn to the run. Hubbard is sixth in rushing yards this season for a reason. With the Panthers' wide receiving core still lacking true talent, leaning on its top 10 running back makes perfect sense.
Much will depend on whether Hubbard is 100 percent. He's been limited in practice this week with a knee issue and is listed as questionable. However, Canales stated that he expects the former fourth-round selection to play.