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Posted at 10:45 AM EST.

1:00 PM EST. The Buccaneers were down and out last Sunday in Cincinnati until the magic man, Ryan Fitzpatrick nearly led them all the way back in the second half. While Tampa fell short in that game to the Bengals, that has not been the story this week, as it's been reported that the Bucs are ready to cut ties with quarterback and all-time bonehead Jameis Winston. It’s likely for the best, as he has been nothing but a headache since his days at Florida State. The Tampa brass has been harshly criticized this week for not resigning their drafted quarterbacks to second contracts for one reason or another over the years, but them not paying a ton of money to Winston is the smartest move they could make. You can ignore all that negative press because it just lowers the Bucs market standing, which isn't very high, to begin with.

The Buccaneers defense has been the curse of the team and their struggles have been well documented this season. However, on the other side of the ball, the Bucs have scored at least 27 points in all but one game. The weekly shootouts have meant that their losses have all been by five points or less. so they are never out of a game. Consider this - the Buccaneers are in the cellar and have a losing record but are on a pace to throw for 43 touchdowns. No quarterback scored more than 34 passing scores last year, which brings us to the real story of this game.

The big thing we have to point out here is the total, which is in the high 50s. That is an abnormality large number for U.S. Bank Stadium in Charlotte, where the high total on the board this season was in a game where the Panthers hosted the Bengals in Week 3. That was supposed to be a shootout between two high profile offenses and the books still slapped just a 44 on it. So if fireworks are expected here, where are they going to come from? We're going to bet it's not the hometown Panthers.

The 36 points the Black Cats scored on the league's number one defense in the Ravens resonated big time and now the market is licking its chop because the Black Cats now get to take a shot Tampa's 32nd rated unit. Before you get caught up in the hype, it's important to take a moment and look back at the Panthers resume this season because this is not a team well suited to be spotting big points. Carolina allowed 31 points to the stinking Giants in Week 5 and easily could have lost that game if not for a 62-yard field goal from Graham Gano. The Panthers were outgained by the G-Men that day, as they were against the Bengals and Falcons, a pair of games they split. Two weeks ago, Carolina was left for dead after the Eagles took a double-digit lead into the fourth quarter, but the Panthers took advantage of every bounce to complete an incredible comeback. Carolina was arguably being disrespected at home last week, as they were a pooch to the Ravens, but now the Panthers stock is on the uptick. Also note, the Panthers are a team full of divas that can't wait to showcase their skill on the national stage next Thursday night in Pittsburgh. That is the best TNF game on paper since the Week 3 matchup between the Vikings and Rams, so it's going to be dissected to death by the pundits. It's a big lookahead spot for the Panthers, which makes spotting a number this significant so risky. There is very little room for error if the Panthers are going to keep up with the Bucs and "Fitzmagic," who are both playing with house money at the moment. That makes them both very dangerous. Great spot and great weight to be taking back with the Bucs.

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