Buccaneers vs. Panthers Prediction, NFL Week 7 Odds & Best Bets (10/25)

Fact checked at 8:54 AM ET, Oct 25, 2026

Odds as of 8:00 AM ET, Oct 25, 2026

Tampa Bay (1-5) visits Carolina (3-2) at Bank of America Stadium for a 1:00 PM ET kickoff on FOX. The Bucs get Baker Mayfield back. He dislocated his right thumb against Minnesota in Week 3 and missed three games while Jalon Daniels started. He practiced in full all week and is listed questionable, and Todd Bowles said "it looks like he's ready to go." He won't have much around him. Top receiver Emeka Egbuka (concussion, foot) and starting right tackle Luke Goedeke (calf) both got hurt in the 26-19 overtime loss to Pittsburgh and are out, and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. misses a third straight game.

We like Carolina here. The Panthers score 29.2 points a game, fourth in the league, and should win by more than a field goal against a Tampa Bay offense that averages 19.8 and is too short-handed to turn this into a shootout. A 24-17 Panthers win is the kind of score we have in mind. The market agrees on both counts: Carolina opened as a 1.5-point underdog and is now a 3-point favorite, and the total has slipped from 45.5 to 44.5. Expect sun, temperatures in the upper 60s and a northeast wind around 10 mph.

Buccaneers vs. Panthers Predictions

• Pick #1: Panthers -3 (-112)
• Pick #2: Under 44.5 (-110)

PICK #1: Panthers -3 (-112)

This line has moved four and a half points since it opened, and Tampa Bay's injuries explain most of it. The Bucs lost at home to Pittsburgh and walked out without Egbuka, who played 86% of the offensive snaps that day, or Goedeke, who hadn't missed an offensive snap all season. Carolina, meanwhile, went into Philadelphia and won 25-14.

Bryce Young threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns in that game, and Chuba Hubbard ran 28 times for 120 yards, so Carolina can score through the air or on the ground. Tampa Bay scores 19.8 points a game, allows 23, and has scored 19 or fewer in four of its last five. Mayfield is an upgrade on Daniels, but he's coming off a thumb injury and his best receiver and his right tackle will be watching.

Carolina also covered both meetings last season. It won 23-20 at home as a 3-point underdog and lost 16-14 in Tampa while getting 3.

The -112 price implies 52.8%. What worries us is the number. Carolina by exactly 3 is a push, and every one of Tampa Bay's last four losses was by seven points or fewer, and last season's 16-14 meeting was just as tight. The Panthers are also missing edge rusher Jaelan Phillips (hamstring). If you don't want to lay the field goal, the moneyline backs the same side at a higher price.

PICK #2: Under 44.5 (-110)

Tampa Bay has put up 19, 24, 14, 16 and 19 points in its last five games. Now the passing game loses the receiver it ran through and a backup lines up at right tackle. If the Bucs land around 17, Carolina needs 28 or more to get this over.

The money backs that up. Only 39% of the bets on the total are on the Under, but they make up 57% of the money, so the bigger tickets are on the low side. The number is down a point from its 45.5 opener. Both meetings last season stayed under as well: the 23-20 Carolina win finished at 43 against a closing total of 45, and the 16-14 Tampa Bay win finished at 30 against 42.5. Mayfield and Young started both of those games, and both are expected to start again here.

At -110, the Under implies a 52.4% chance. Carolina's offense is the threat. It can get to 30 on its own, and without Phillips the pass rush may give a quarterback just back from a thumb injury more time than usual. Sunny skies and a light wind won't slow anyone down either. This pick and the spread cash together if Carolina lands in the mid-20s and Tampa Bay stays in the teens.

21+ (18+ where permitted). Odds subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.