Right out of the gate let's acknowledge the juice here is high, totally get it if this isn't your favorite call in the playbook. That said, I'm gonna take a shot here at a very attainable number and look to steal $50 from the books. The entire offense has been fired in Carolina and that means we should see Bryce Young do Bryce Young things today, specifically with a toned-down offense and Run-Pass Options galore. You don't want to run him too much, but if there were ever a day to do it, that Amazon package has arrived on your doorstep. Owner David Tepper just fired the head coach because he wants to see Bryce be Bryce. Good enough for me.

The shifty Hubbard has quietly emerged as a reliable offensive threat for a Panthers club in desperate need of them. He has clipped this total in three of his past four outings and is coming off his best game of the season, with 92 yards from scrimmage and a TD against the Titans last week. The interim coaching regime at Carolina would be wise to continue featuring him in the offense.

Bucs coach Todd Bowles will be licking his chops today against the Panthers. Reason being, he's facing a rookie QB behind an offensive line that has struggled to protect him all season long. While we'll see a shot of life from Carolina in the wake of their coaching firings this week, it won't be enough to pull off the upset.

Coaching changes in Carolina probably will not hurt the offense, which can't get much worse. Midseason firings often work out well for a team in its next outing. Plus, the Panthers benefit from facing a 31st-ranked pass defense that will be down two or three inside linebackers, an end and a cornerback -- all with injuries. Four of the past five Bucs games have easily cleared this total. A more relaxed Bryce Young at QB with a fresh coach can lead to points for the Panthers.

The Panthers quickly turned the page on Frank Reich, and even though he might not have been the problem, this is a good spot for them to finally have a competitive game and potentially win. The Carolina defense is up to 10th in yards per play and third in third down rate after another solid performance last week, and they could get a boost from several returning players here. The Bucs may be more limited on offense than usual with Baker Mayfield nursing an ankle injury and Chris Godwin questionable, but several key Bucs defenders have already been ruled out, giving Bryce Young a chance to show what he can do under the new interim regime. I expect a 20-17 type of game here.

Carolina is an AWFUL football team. I don't want to back them at all. But I also am a huge believer in the Dead Cat Bounce Game, where a head coach is fired and his team immediately responds in a big way. There's a ton of pressure on these players to perform, because everyone's job is on the line when the big boss gets fired. You saw it with the Raiders and I think we see it again here, especially since Thomas Brown and Jim Caldwell should incorporate a ton of RPO-style plays to accentuate what Bryce Young does best against a Bucs pass defense that has been ravaged by quarterbacks like Desmond Ridder, C.J. Stroud, Brock Purdy and Gardner Minshew.

Evans has 6 straight games against the Panters with 75+ receiving yards, and with this team not getting much out of the TEs and Godwin having a down season, I like him to be force-fed in a must-win game. The last time he faced Carolina he went: 10-207-3. He went over 70 with 2 TDs last week, and even when you know he's getting the ball he's still tough to stop. His biggest games have trended to come at home, and this is a huge one for a Bucs team that has lost 6 of 7 and played 4 of the last 5 on the road.

White is the only real cog in the entire Bucs run game, and had as it is it means significant opportunity for him to cash for us in a variety of ways. He has all 4 of the team's rushing TDs, and with Baker Mayfield beat up even more reason to like him in that regard. Panthers have allowed 18 rushing TDs, most in the NFL. White has scored in three of the last four games. He is a top-two receiving back in the NFL in terms of targets and catches, and that will be in order in a must-win game here. He'll see the ball in the RZ in a variety of ways.

Carolina should get a spark from firing the rigid Frank Reich, as popular special teams coordinator Chris Tabor takes over. The Panthers also will get a huge boost from the expected return of key defenders from IR: No. 1 corner Jaycee Horn, safety Jeremy Chinn and outside linebacker Yetur Gross-Matos. And this is a defense that, since Week 7, already ranks first in yards per play allowed. The Buccaneers have lost six of seven, are extremely banged-up on defense, and shouldn't be laying this big of a number even to the lowly Panthers. Look for a tight, low-scoring game and grab the points.

The Panthers fired Frank Reich, which moved the spread in their direction a tad after it had gotten to Bucs -6. But firing the coach isn't going to magically create more talent on the field, where the Panthers offense ranks last in yards per play behind the Giants and last in yards per pass behind the Jets. They're up against a tough run defense here, and I can't see them scoring much. The Bucs might have their own scoring issues with Baker Mayfield nursing an ankle injury and Carolina suddenly ninth in yards per play on defense and fourth in third down success rate. Both teams have trended toward Unders this year, and it makes sense to back it in this matchup.