The Steelers and Texans couldn’t pull an upset on Christmas day but two NFC teams have a great chance to beat the odds against division rivals on Sunday. (odds via ESPN)
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-8)
With both teams holding 8-7 records, the NFC South may be a two-team race between Atlanta and Tampa Bay. But the road to a division title could run through Carolina. The Falcons and Bucs each have one game left against the last-place Panthers, with the Buccaneers up first in Week 17.
Tampa struggled against Carolina last year, escaping the first matchup with a three-point victory while failing to score a touchdown in a 9-0 win to end the 2023 regular season. This year, the Bucs needed overtime to beat the Panthers 26-23 in a game that saw quarterback Bryce Young throw for a season-high 298 yards and two touchdowns for Carolina.
Last week, Young led Carolina to a 36-30 overtime win over Arizona by throwing for 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns on his way to a season-high quarterback rating (107.5). These days, Young looks nothing like the player that was benched from Weeks 3-7 and is clearly more comfortable playing in head coach Dave Canales’ system.
