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Stats of the Week: Carolina at Tampa Bay

Matchup Notes

Cam Newton drops back to throw
  • Carolina looks to snap a three-game skid with a trip to Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers represented Carolina's last win, a 42-28 victory on Nov. 4. In that meeting, Carolina held the NFL's top passing offense to its lowest output of the season with just 243 passing yards.
  • Carolina leads the all-time series 23-13 with three straight victories dating back to the 2016 season finale at Tampa Bay.
  • Christian McCaffrey set a franchise record with 237 scrimmage yards (125 rush, 112 receiving) against Seattle. He became the first Panthers player to ever tally over 100 rushing and receiving yards in the same game. 
  • McCaffrey now ranks fourth in the NFL with his 1,365 scrimmage yards. He has the most receiving yards (757) among all NFL running backs, while his nine touchdowns over the last five weeks are the most in the league.
  • Cam Newton extended his franchise record with two passing touchdowns to 10 games, while he extended his franchise record for passer rating over 100 to six games. Newton tied for the fourth-longest passer rating streak in the NFL since 2008.
  • Newton currently ranks sixth in the NFL in completion percentage (69.6) and seventh in passer rating (103.7). He is on pace to set franchise records in completions, completion percentage, passing touchdowns, fewest interceptions and passer rating.

Upcoming Milestones

Christian McCaffrey runs against Seattle

Panthers players have a number of career milestones that could be in reach for Sunday's game:

  • Julius Peppers (158.5) needs two sacks to pass Kevin Greene (160.0) for the third-most sacks in NFL history since it became a statistic in 1982.
  • Cam Newton needs one rushing touchdown for his eighth straight season with at least five rushing touchdowns, joining Eddie George and Thurman Thomas in a tie for the fifth-longest streak.
  • Cam Newton has now thrown for at least two touchdown passes in 10 consecutive games, lengthening his franchise record. One more game with two passing touchdowns would tie for the fifth-longest streak in the NFL over the last 10 years.
  • Cam Newton has also tallied a passer rating over 100 in six straight games, extending his new franchise record. If Newton goes over 100 at Tampa Bay, it would tie for the third-longest streak over 100 in the NFL since 2008.
  • Cam Newton needs 301 passing yards for his eighth-straight season of 3,000 passing yards. He would join Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks with eight straight seasons to start a career.
  • Christian McCaffrey (1,365) needs 272 scrimmage yards to break DeAngelo Williams' franchise record (1,636) for scrimmage yards in a season, set in 2008. McCaffrey needs 10 receptions and 44 receiving yards to break his own franchise record for receptions (80) and receiving yards (651) by a running back in a single season, originally set last year.
  • Greg Olsen (7,834) needs 85 receiving yards to pass Jackie Smith (7,918) for seventh all-time in receiving yards among tight ends.
  • Devin Funchess (158) needs five receptions to pass Jonathan Stewart (162) for ninth place all-time in catches in franchise history.
  • Luke Kuechly (913) needs four tackles (press box stats) to pass Patrick Willis (916) for the most tackles in an NFL player's first seven seasons.

Notable Connections

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (90) against Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Chris Clark (74) during an NFL game, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018, in Charlotte, N.C. (Aaron Doster via AP)
  • Tampa Bay head coach Dirk Koetter was on the Boise State coaching staff and Arizona State staff with Panthers strength and conditioning coach Joe Kenn. Panthers athletic performance analyst Brett Nenaber played at Arizona State when Koetter and Kenn were part of the staff.
  • Panthers regional director of college scouting Eric Stokes was the director of college scouting for the Buccaneers from 2012-13.
  • Panthers area scout Mike Martin spent four seasons in the Buccaneers scouting department from 2003-07.
  • Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht was a scout for the Panthers in 1998.
  • Buccaneers defensive line coach Brentson Buckner played for the Panthers from 2001-2005.
  • Buccaneers secondary coach Jon Hoke is the older brother of Panthers defensive line coach Brady Hoke. Hoke spent one season on the coaching staff at South Carolina in 2015.
  • Buccaneers assistant offensive line coach Butch Barry was the offensive coordinator/ offensive line coach/recruiting coordinator at North Greenville University in 2009.
  • Buccaneers defensive backs coach Brett Maxie played for the Panthers from 1995-96 and was the quality control and defensive backs coach for the team in 1998.
  • Panthers tackle Chris Clark originally signed as an undrafted free agent with Tampa Bay in 2008, before being waived later that year.
  • Buccaneers linebacker Adarius Taylor (formerly Adarius Glanton) spent time on the active roster and practice squad with the Panthers from 2014-15.
  • Panthers defensive end Bryan Cox, Jr. and punter Michael Palardy went to high school at St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Cox played collegiately at Florida.
  • Panthers kicker Graham Gano is a native of Cantonment, Fla., and played at Florida State.
  • Panthers defensive end Marquis Haynes and linebacker Andre Smith are natives of Jacksonville, Fla.
  • Buccaneers defensive end Robert Ayers, Jr. attended Marlboro County High School in Bennettsville, S.C.
  • Buccaneers wide receiver Adam Humphries is from Spartanburg, S.C., and attended Clemson.
  • Buccaneers safety Isaiah Johnson is from Cary, N.C., and played collegiately at South Carolina.
  • Panthers tight end Greg Olsen played collegiately at Miami.
  • Buccaneers safety Ryan Smith played collegiately at North Carolina Central.

Carolina is 25-19 all-time against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, posting a 13-10 record at home and 12-9 on the road.

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