2005 · Week 14 · Division

Final

Buccaneers

Tampa Bay

QB Chris Simms

20·10

Panthers

Carolina

QB Jake Delhomme

Bank of America Stadium · outdoors · grass · 52°F · wind 10mph

Closing spread

CAR -5.5

Total

37

Model margin

+4.8est.

CAR perspective

Push chance

None

half-point line — cannot push

Win probability

  • Panthers
  • Buccaneers

How each play moved the game.

Panthers winsBuccaneers wins

Matchup

Where the edges are

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

Buccaneersedge mapPanthers
  • -0.066EPA / play+0.011
  • 39.7%Success rate41.2%
  • -0.064EPA / dropback+0.125
  • -0.068EPA / rush-0.116
  • 6.8%Explosive rate7.4%
  • 38.9%Third-down rate43.3%
  • 57.3%Red-zone TD rate63.9%
  • 1.36Points / drive1.90
  • 2.2%Turnover rate2.4%
  • -0.097EPA / play allowed-0.118

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 25–23 since 1999

Meetings average 41.7 points. CAR are 27-21 ATS in the series.

Previous meetings
SeasonMatchupScoreWinner
2025 · W18CAR @ TB1416TB
2025 · W16TB @ CAR2023CAR
2024 · W17CAR @ TB1448TB
2024 · W13TB @ CAR2623TB
2023 · W18TB @ CAR90TB
2023 · W13CAR @ TB1821TB
2022 · W17CAR @ TB2430TB
2022 · W7TB @ CAR321CAR

Box score

Individual performances

Buccaneers

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Chris Simms20/2713800

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Cadillac Williams291123.92
Michael Pittman210.50
Chris Simms1-1-1.00

Panthers

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Jake Delhomme21/3322011

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
DeShaun Foster14463.30
Stephen Davis4235.80
Nick Goings177.00
Jake Delhomme166.00

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 +5.53.5%6.5%7.5%3.2%4.9%3.2%3.0%

Positive margins favour Panthers; negative favour Buccaneers.

Half-point at risk

3.19%

outcomes that flip if the line moves 0.5

Model home win

61.8%

Expected total

42.6est.

Model

Where the number comes from

Each component is additive, in points of expected margin.

  • Team ratings (opponent-adjusted EPA)+2.23
  • Home-field advantage+2.56
  • Quarterback adjustment0.00
  • Rest differential0.00
  • Expected margin+4.79