Friday, 4 a.m.
Eventually, they have to win again. Right?
Someday, perhaps soon, Tom Brady will go back to being Tom Brady, and Mike Evans will catch a lot of passes and the offense will somehow pick up a third and one. Won't they?
For a month now, the Bucs have been spinning their wheels. The defense hasn't been good enough, and the lines have been pushed around, and the array of weapons will frighten someone. Isn't that the plan?
Well, hello there, Carolina.
Content beyond this point is for members only.
Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo)!
Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.
Look, it isn't going to magically come together for the Bucs. They're playing too poorly in too many areas of the game. Some blame play-calling. Some blame injuries. Whatever, the Bucs haven't been close to being the team that was advertised.
This week, though, they get the 1-5 Carolina Panthers, led by the thoroughly ordinary P.J. Walker, coached by the completely uninspired Steve Wilks. If the Bucs can't win this one, they might as well call off the season and apologize for getting everyone's hopes up.
the Bucs keep getting breaks. They played Atlanta without Kyle Pitts and Cordarelle Patterson. They played the Steelers without T.J. Watt and Minoan Fitzpatrick (plus their top cornerbacks). Or the play Carolina without Christian McCaffrey and Robbie Anderson.
Oh, even the Panthers can contend with this offensive line, and even the Panthers can find holes in this secondary. So it won't be easy. But even in a season of a lesser Tom Brady, the Bucs should win this one easily.
Prediction: Tampa Bay 27; Carolina 14.
In other NFL games:
Cincinnati 27, Atlanta 17.
Green Bay 30, Washington 10.
Las Vegas 3, Houston 2.
Tennessee 29, Indianapolis 21.
Kansas City 20, San Francisco 17.
And in the college game:
Clemson 28, Syracuse 14.
Miami 30, Duke 20.
Alabama 17, Mississippi State 14.
Ole Miss 33, LSU 20.
Ohio State 39, Iowa 14.