Week 5 comes to a close Monday evening with an NFC South matchup. The struggling 1-3 Carolina Panthers host the also struggling 1-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Panthers are a 5.5-point favorite, but will be heading into this game without Cam Newton. Their quarterback suffered a concussion last week and was not cleared through the concussion protocol. Derek Anderson will start in his place. The Panthers have lost two straight, at home to the Vikings and on the road to the Falcons.
The Bucs stunned the Falcons in the Georgia Dome to open the season, but that is looking like one of the bigger anomalies of the season. The Bucs have since lost three straight to the Cardinals, Rams, and Broncos. These are not bad teams, but the Bucs have looked bad in all three losses.
The Bucs have a bye next week, and then travel to face the 49ers in Santa Clara in Week 7. They will be worth watching tonight.
I went with the Bucs covering +6.5 in my Saturday picks. I feel like this could be an ugly one on both sides, and things remain relatively low scoring.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers
Start time: 5:30 PM PT
TV channel: ESPN
Announcers: Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters
Online Streaming: WatchESPN
Odds: Panthers -5.5, 46