Though the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren’t the most complete teams in football, you get the sense that either of these teams could beat anyone in the league if things went their way.
Despite getting beaten by Teddy Bridgewater and the Saints last week, we are only two games removed from the Buccaneers 55-40 stomping of the Rams. Surprisingly good play from running back Ronald Jones II and receiver Chris Godwin has helped an improved Jameis Winston get this offense into shape.
While the Buccaneers secondary is not very good, other than in the Saints game, their defense played well overall. The team’s pass rush has been generally been effective. Plus, Shaq Barrett has nine sacks on the season so far, and the Bucs have had some really effective weeks stopping the run.
With Cam Newton injured, Christian McCaffrey carried the Panthers on his back last week against Jacksonville. McCaffrey was an unstoppable force with 237 total yards and three touchdowns on the day.
McCaffrey has the power to change a game by himself, but the emergence of D.J. Moore and the solid play of Kyle Allen in relief of Newton have been nice surprises, as well.
The Panthers have been pretty good on defense, with players like outside linebacker Brian Burns and safety Eric Reid coming up with big plays when it counts. While this might not be an elite unit, when they click, they can make good quarterbacks look bad, as they are a top pass defense.
Overall, this feels like a close matchup. It’s hard to tell which of these teams is going to show up on a given week. If we get the Buccaneers team that beat the Rams, then Panthers should be scared. If McCaffrey gashes this unit like he did the Texans and the Jaguars, then the Panthers should cruise.
Add in the wildness of this being a London game, and we’ll go ahead and shy away from any firm prognostications on this one.
Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- When: Sunday, Oct. 13 at 9:30am ET
- Where: Bank of America Stadium in London, England
- Streaming: NFL Network (free trials with various streaming services)
Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers live stream: How to watch NFL online
The only way to watch the NFL’s slate of London games, including Panthers vs. Buccaneers, is with NFL Network.
What is NFL Network?
If you want to be immersed in pro football, NFL Network is the place to go. There’s plenty to love about NFL Network, including the ability to watch exclusive shows like Good Morning Football, NFL Total Access, A Football Life, Inside the NFL, and most importantly, Sunday’s NFL GameDay once the regular season begins. There’s also daily programming devoted to power rankings and fantasy football that football lovers will geek out over. NFL Network shows most Thursday night games during the regular season, and it’ll exclusively show some of the international games in 2019. Take note, though: NFL Network can no longer be seen via DirecTV Now.
The bottom line: If you want to get closer to the action and catch (almost) every Thursday Night Football game, you need NFL Network.
Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers live stream: How to watch NFL Network
1) Sling TV
- Cost: $25-$40 per month (40% off first month)
- Sling TV devices: Amazon Fire TVs, Android Fire Stick, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, Google Chromecast, Oculus Go, and iOS and Android devices
- Sling TV local channels: NBC, Fox (check your local availability here)
If you want to watch the Panthers vs. Buccaneers online via Sling TV, you’ll need to be subscribed to either Sling Blue ($25 per month) or Sling Orange + Blue ($40 per month). Both of those packages include NFL Network and a number of sports channels—like three ESPN channels, NBCSN, and FS1—and it’s still a nice perk that Sling subscribers can order a la carte packages. Sling TV also offers a special Latino package for bilingual viewers. Sling TV is currently offering a deal where you can subscribe for 40% off the regular price for the first month of your subscription. That means Sling Blue would cost $15, and Sling Orange + Blue would cost $25. (Here’s a complete guide to Sling TV channels and our Sling TV review.)
2) FuboTV
- Cost: $54.99 per month
- FuboTV devices: Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV, iOS and Android devices
- FuboTV local channels: Fox, NBC, CBS (check local availability here)
If you’re a big-time sports fan, FuboTV is your best streaming service option. If you love international soccer and you’re a Spanish speaker, FuboTV also offers various add-on packages, including Fubo Latino and Fubo Português. FuboTV’s basic plan showcases nearly 100 channels and includes NFL Network. At $54.99 per month, you’ll also get FS1, FS2, NBCSN, NBA TV, Big Ten Network, Pac 12 Network, BeIn Sports, and CBS Sports Network, along with premium channels like FX/FXX/FXM. The only notable omission for sports fans is ESPN. You can add Fubo’s Sports Plus package for an additional $8.99 per month, which allows you to stream NFL RedZone, (Here’s the complete FuboTV channels list.)
3) PlayStation Vue
- Cost: $44.99-$79.99 per month
- PlayStation Vue devices: PlayStation 3 and 4, Roku, Amazon Fire, Google Chromecast, Kodi, iOS and Android devices
- PlayStation Vue local channels: NBC, Fox, ABC, CBS (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
If you’d like to watch live NFL games directly from your PS4, PlayStation Vue is your best bet. PlayStation also works with streaming devices like Roku and Amazon Fire products, but what separates PlayStation from the rest of the streaming services is that it’s also compatible with Kodi. No matter how you stream, you’ll get to choose from four tiers of channels—all but the cheapest include NFL Network. From there, you can also add NFL RedZone as part of the $10-per-month Sports Pack, which also unlocks ESPN Bases Loaded, ESPN Classic, Longhorn Network, Outside TV, and NBCUniversal regional sports networks. You can see the full list of PlayStation Vue channels here. Two other great perks: You can stream on up to five devices at once, and there’s also unlimited cloud DVR.
Other ways to watch NFL Network online
The NFL app
Cost: Depends on provider
Devices: Amazon Fire Stick, Apple TV, PS4, Roku, Android RV, iOS and Android devices
If you subscribe to NFL Network through a cable provider—or you know someone who does and they owe you a relatively large favor—you can also watch via the official NFL app. All you have to do is download it from your streaming device of choice—Amazon Fire Stick, Apple TV, PS4, Roku, or Android TV—and then enter in your cable credentials when prompted. You can also stream on any iOS or Android device, or on your desktop. Just visit nfl.com/watch.
Fantasy football: Who should I start?
Panthers
D.J. Moore, Wide Receiver: If you have Christian McCaffrey, you are starting him, so we’ll recommend someone else. Moore is a nice flex option here. For instance, he has steadily gained more receiving yards each week Kyle Allen has started, and the Buccaneers secondary is very soft. If you’re plagued with bye week issues, Moore could be a nice bench play during this game.
Buccaneers
Ronald Jones II, Running Back: The Panthers have a very good pass defense, though if you have a top Buccaneers receiver, you are probably starting them anyway. Also think about starting Jones against a run defense that just gave Leonard Fournette a 100-yard day.
Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Why it matters
Any hope these teams have of catching up with the Saints is quickly fading as Teddy Bridgewater has proven capable in Drew Brees’ absence. However, these teams are frisky enough that they could be contenting for a wild card late in the season.
Both of these teams are also perfectly capable of letting opportunities slip away. The Panthers and the Buccaneers have a habit of letting close, winnable games slip through their fingers. It’s possible to imagine one of these teams making a run and landing in the playoffs, but that would likely happen at the expense of the other.
The Buccaneers and the Panthers could both really use a win here. Firstly, Tampa is slightly more desperate, as a loss here would knock them to 2-4. However, a Carolina loss would mean the Buccaneers have beaten them twice already and own any tiebreakers.
It’s hard to tell how this game will go, but it could well be one of the most exciting matchups of the week, as two uneven and evenly matched teams mix it up in London.
READ MORE:
- How to watch NFL RedZone without cable
- How to watch NFL Sunday Ticket without a DirecTV satellite
- How to watch NFL Network online (without cable)
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