Carolina Panthers v Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London: betting preview and free tip

Free NFL picks, tips and predictions for Carolina Panthers v Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

When to watch

Sky Sports Action, 2.30pm Sunday

Best bet

Tampa Bay +2.5
1pt 13-14 RedZone

Game preview

Two NFC South rivals go head-to-head at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Tampa Bay take on Carolina, and the Buccaneers could land their first London success at the third time of asking.

Bruce Arians’ side won 20-14 when these teams met in Week Two, and although many credit that result to Panthers quarterback Cam Newton being less than 100 per cent, it is worth noting how Tampa were able to subdue Carolina's star running back Christian McCaffrey.

Run CMC ran riot against Jacksonville last week with 267 total yards and three touchdowns, and he is the key to the Panthers' offence.

However, when these teams met last time McCaffrey registered just 37 rushing yards off 16 carries, and the Bucs boast the second-best run defence in the NFL, giving up an average of 70 rushing yards per game.

They also have the worst passing defence in the league, emphasised by Jared Goff’s 500-yard game in their 55-40 win over the Rams, and Teddy Bridgewater throwing for four touchdowns in last week’s 31-24 loss to New Orleans.

If these trends continue, that puts pressure on Carolina’s rookie quarterback Kyle Allen to deliver, and although he made a great debut against lowly Arizona, he has started to go off the boil.

Tampa Bay have an incredibly exciting offence this season with QB Jameis Winston showing great rapport with Mike Evans and the emerging Chris Godwin. They have put up the most points in the NFC, and should give another strong showing against Carolina.

The lowdown

Venue Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Surface Artificial
Weather Cloudy, 14C
Vegas handicap Carolina -2.5
Vegas points line 47.5

Team news

Carolina
Quarterback Cam Newton (foot), defensive back Natrell Jamerson (foot), offensive tackle Greg Little (concussion), linebacker Christian Miller (ankle) and guard Trai Turner (ankle) are out. Running back Christian McCaffrey (back) is expected to play.

Tampa Bay
Guards Zack Bailey (foot) and Alex Cappa (arm) are out, along with linebacker Jack Cichy (elbow), offensive tackle Demar Dotson (hamstring) and wide receiver Breshad Perriman (hamstring). Linebacker Shaquil Barrett (oblique) and safety Mike Edwards (hamstring) are rated questionable.

Key stat

Tampa Bay have scored 11 passing touchdowns this season.

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