2003 · Week 2 · Division

Final / OT

Panthers

Carolina

QB Jake Delhomme

12·9

Buccaneers

Tampa Bay

QB Brad Johnson

Raymond James Stadium · outdoors · grass · 91°F · wind 5mph

Closing spread

TB -9

Total

34.5

Model margin

+2.0est.

TB perspective

Push chance

1.2%est.

Win probability

  • Buccaneers
  • Panthers

How each play moved the game.

Buccaneers winsPanthers wins

Matchup

Where the edges are

Season-long league percentiles for both sides, mirrored. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge.

Panthersedge mapBuccaneers
  • -0.070EPA / play-0.043
  • 39.3%Success rate41.6%
  • -0.010EPA / dropback+0.014
  • -0.132EPA / rush-0.134
  • 10.2%Explosive rate7.3%
  • 35.8%Third-down rate35.7%
  • 54.6%Red-zone TD rate68.3%
  • 1.35Points / drive1.38
  • 2.8%Turnover rate2.8%
  • -0.075EPA / play allowed-0.116

Bar length is league percentile, already oriented so longer is better. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge; rows within ~12 points are washed as even.

The rivalry

CAR lead 25–24 since 1999

TB have won 2 straight. Meetings average 42 points. TB are 22-27 ATS in the series.

Previous meetings
SeasonMatchupScoreWinner
2026 · W7TB @ CAR43–13TB
2025 · W18CAR @ TB14–16TB
2025 · W16TB @ CAR20–23CAR
2024 · W17CAR @ TB14–48TB
2024 · W13TB @ CAR26–23TB
2023 · W18TB @ CAR9–0TB
2023 · W13CAR @ TB18–21TB
2022 · W17CAR @ TB24–30TB

Possession by possession

How it unfolded

Every drive: who had the ball, how far it went, how it ended, and the score as it settled.

Drive-by-drive log
BallStartPlaysYardsResultCAR–TB
TBQ1 15:001041Punt0–0
CARQ1 8:351175Field goal3–0
TBQ1 2:05836Punt3–0
CARQ2 13:5839Punt3–0
TBQ2 12:19966Missed field goal3–0
CARQ2 7:2949Punt3–0
TBQ2 5:281248Turnover3–0
CARQ2 0:49514Field goal6–0
TBQ2 0:1400End of half6–0
CARQ3 15:001252Field goal9–0
TBQ3 10:1144Punt9–0
CARQ3 9:093-5Punt9–0
TBQ3 6:43634Punt9–0
CARQ3 4:2539Turnover9–0
TBQ3 2:5035Field goal9–3
CARQ3 2:07411Turnover9–3
TBQ4 14:5241Punt9–3
CARQ4 13:2139Punt9–3
TBQ4 11:37729Missed field goal9–3
CARQ4 8:1832Punt9–3
TBQ4 7:1637Punt9–3
CARQ4 6:29945Punt9–3
TBQ4 1:491087Touchdown9–9
CAROT612Punt9–9
TBOT1140Punt9–9
CAROT416Field goal12–9

Box score

Individual performances

Panthers

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Jake Delhomme9/239602

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Stephen Davis331424.30
DeShaun Foster3206.70
Rod Smart252.50
Jake Delhomme122.00

Buccaneers

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Brad Johnson34/6133911

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Michael Pittman10383.80
Thomas Jones482.00
Aaron Stecker362.00
Brad Johnson1-1-1.00

Where this game is likely to land

  • Model
  • Smooth (normal)
  • Betting line

Probability of each final margin. Football scoring clusters — the spikes at 3 and 7 are real, and a smooth model misses them.

line +92.7%7.1%7.5%3.1%4.7%2.9%

Positive margins favour Buccaneers; negative favour Panthers.

Half-point at risk

1.18%

outcomes that flip if the line moves 0.5

Model home win

54.4%

Expected total

42.0est.

Model

Where the number comes from

Each component is additive, in points of expected margin.

  • Team ratings (opponent-adjusted EPA)-0.51
  • Home-field advantage+2.56
  • Quarterback adjustment0.00
  • Rest differential-0.08
  • Expected margin+1.97