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<\/p>\nLogan’s Prediction: Expect a solid rushing game for Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard against the Buccaneers!<\/p>\n
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Jan 1, 2026 \u2022 08:47 ET<\/p>\n
\u2022 4 min read<\/p>\n
Photo By – Imagn Images. Chuba Hubbard of the Carolina Panthers.<\/p>\n
What appeared to be a \u201cwin and in\u201d scenario is now a \u201cwin and wait\u201d situation atop the NFC South.<\/p>\n
To win the division, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers not only need to defeat the Carolina Panthers in Saturday\u2019s Week 18 showdown but also need the Atlanta Falcons to lose to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Carolina\u2019s path to the division crown is far less complicated: win and punch your postseason ticket. And speaking of keeping things less complicated, the Panthers have a \u201cstraightforward\u201d approach to beating the Bucs, with plenty of touches for running back Chuba Hubbard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019s the focus of my best Panthers vs. Buccaneers predictions and NFL picks<\/a> for January 3.<\/p>\n Panthers vs Buccaneers prediction<\/p>\n Panthers vs Buccaneers Best bet: Chuba Hubbard Over 28.5 rushing yards (-114)<\/p>\n Chuba Hubbard<\/a> has received a surge in playing time since Week 12, registering 20-plus snaps in each of the past four games.<\/p>\n While he still sits behind backfield mate Rico Dowdle <\/a>in terms of involvement, Hubbard is finally getting more carries and targets after an injury-plagued fall limited his production.<\/p>\n Dowdle injured his toe in last weekend\u2019s loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and while he\u2019s expected to play on Saturday, he has missed practice on the short week.\u00a0<\/p>\n If Dowdle is hampered, the Carolina Panthers<\/a> need Hubbard to step up in this do-or-die matchup. Head coach Dave Canales didn\u2019t hide his faith in Hubbard, calling him a stud and a leader on the team when asked about the veteran running back.<\/p>\n \u201cI love Chuba,\u201d Canales told the media. \u201cGoing to give him the ball some more and find ways for him to impact the game, because he\u2019s just a guy that I really trust.\u201d<\/p>\n Hubbard had a big day in the win over the L.A. Rams in Week 12, rushing 17 times for 83 yards. Since then, he\u2019s received eight carries for 29 yards, six handoffs for 27 yards (vs. Tampa Bay), and had just four runs for 12 yards in the loss to Seattle.<\/p>\n Typically, facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> would mean tough sledding for rival running backs. However, the Buccaneers\u2019 run defense has crumbled in the second half of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s gone from a Top-3 defense in EPA allowed per handoffs and opponent success rate per run in the opening eight weeks to 21st and 14th in those advanced metrics since Week 9.<\/p>\n Hubbard\u2019s Week 18 projections range from 27 rushing yards to 34 yards, with most models north of 30 yards on the ground. Given Dowdle\u2019s injury and Canales\u2019 promise of more touches, I believe the ceiling is high for Carolina\u2019s Canadian-born running back in Week 18.<\/p>\n Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account The Bucs have the better quarterback and home-field advantage, while the Panthers have struggled to score on the road.<\/p>\n Hubbard is the healthier of the two running backs, and his coach had faith in him for this finale.<\/p>\n Bucky Irving<\/a> will get the goal-line runs and has also shown he can be part of this passing game.<\/p>\n Panthers vs Buccaneers SGP<\/p>\n Buccaneers moneyline Our big-ticket SGP: MAC Rules!<\/p>\n It\u2019s tough to beat a division rival twice in one season, especially on their own field with the season on the line.<\/p>\n Hubbard has seen an uptick in touches the past month, and Dowdle is playing through a toe injury.<\/p>\n Irving has been back a few games now and will get the red zone carries vs. Carolina.<\/p>\n Tetairoa McMillan<\/a> scored against the Bucs two weeks ago and has five TDs in the last six games.<\/p>\n Panthers vs Buccaneers SGP<\/p>\n Buccaneers moneyline Panthers vs Buccaneers odds<\/p>\n Spread: Panthers +3.5 (-110) | Buccaneers -3.5 (-110) More NFL picks and odds from Covers<\/p>\n Panthers vs Buccaneers trend to know<\/p>\n Carolina is 0-6 SU and 1-5 ATS at Raymond James Stadium since 2018. Find more NFL betting trends<\/a> for Panthers vs. Buccaneers.<\/p>\n How to watch Panthers vs Buccaneers<\/p>\n Location Date Kickoff TV Panthers vs Buccaneers latest injuries<\/p>\n Panthers vs Buccaneers weather<\/p>\n Monitor gametime conditions with our live NFL weather info<\/a> and learn how weather impacts NFL betting<\/a>.<\/p>\n Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Pages related to this topic<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Logan’s Prediction: Expect a solid rushing game for Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard against the Buccaneers! Jan 1,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":382274,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[49,48,514,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-382273","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nfl","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=382273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382273\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/382274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=382273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=382273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=382273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Add](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/google-preferred-source-badge.png\"){kind=icon}
<\/a>Panthers vs Buccaneers same-game parlay<\/p>\n
\nChuba Hubbard Over 28.5 rushing yards
\nBucky Irving anytime touchdown<\/p>\n
\nChuba Hubbard Over 28.5 rushing yards
\nBucky Irving anytime touchdown
\nTetairoa McMillan anytime touchdown<\/p>\n
\nMoneyline: Panthers +165 | Buccaneers -200
\nOver\/Under: Over 44.5 (-105) | Under 44.5 (-115)<\/p>\n
\nRaymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL<\/p>\n
\nSaturday, January 3, 2026<\/p>\n
\n4:30 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
\nABC\/ESPN<\/p>\n
Not intended for use in MA.
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