The Buccaneers are one win away from taking the NFC South division title and a trip to the playoffs. All that stands in their way is the Carolina Panthers with the worst record in the league.
While no victory in the NFL is assured, the Panthers are facing long odds to beat the Bucs on Sunday. Carolina has just two wins on the season and in the past two months, the Panthers have scored more than 20 points just once.
The Bucs on the other hand have scored fewer than 20 points just twice in the past two months. One of those games came last week in an embarrassing loss to the New Orleans Saints. Tampa Bay came out flat against a Saints team playing for its season and paid the price. It is a mistake the Bucs cannot afford to make this week.
Here are the Bucs’ keys to victory over the Panthers in the regular season finale: