The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are back on the road after three straight games at home, and they finally open up their season series with the Carolina Panthers. The Bucs and Panthers are tied for the division lead entering the game at 7-7 overall, with Tampa Bay holding a tiebreaker edge over their NFC South rival thanks to a better record over common opponents.

In order for the Bucs to win the division, they’ll need to beat Carolina in either Week 16 or Week 18, and either defeat the Miami Dolphins next week – who just announced they’re benching QB Tua Tagovailoa – or have the Panthers lose to the Seattle Seahawks next week.

So, can the Bucs take care of business on their own end on Sunday in Charlotte? And will fans outside of the Tampa Bay area be able to catch the game on local TV?

506 Sports has the answer to the latter question. The game will be shown in the early window on FOX with Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth on the call and will be shown throughout parts of the Southeast.

The game will be shown in most of Florida with the exception of the Jacksonville region and parts of North Florida and the western panhandle. The game will also be shown in parts of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Can the Bucs’ snap out of their funk after a loss that left some players and their head coach publicly fuming?

Tampa Bay suffered one of the worst losses of the season by any team last Thursday when they blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead to the Kirk-Cousins-led Atlanta Falcons, who came into the game already eliminated from playoff contention. The Bucs’ big play woes continued, as Atlanta converted for a key first down on their final drive after facing a third-and-28 and fourth-and-14. That left Mike Evans furious and muttering “third and twenty-eight” walking back to the locker room while Tristan Wirfs and Todd Bowles also let their frustrations fly.

This team simply isn’t playing up to their abilities since their Week 9 bye, having dropped five of their last six games. The offense has struggled to run the football, sustain drives, and generate explosive plays that were there before the bye week. Conversely, the defense has been very accommodating to opposing offenses in allowing big plays, and teams have piled up the points as a result, with the Bucs allowing an average of 29.3 points per game over their las six contests.

How much fire will the Bucs come out with in Charlotte, and can they finally play smarter and more complimentary football than we’ve seen the last six weeks? They were handed a second chance after the Panthers lost to the Saints last week, so there’s no reason not to get up and go capitalize on that gift they were given. But if they continue to look like they have been, then we could be seeing the final days of the Bowles era over the next three weeks.

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