Things are never easy for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and oftentimes they have only themselves to blame.
Last week the Bucs had a chance to start closing up shop and locking down a fourth straight NFC South title, but they ceded control thanks to an embarrassing loss in Dallas. That loss propelled the Atlanta Falcons back into first place and, thanks to the tiebreaker they have over the Bucs, back into the driver’s seat to win the division.
It also knocked the Bucs out of the playoff picture but has hardly ended their journey. A win on Sunday coupled with a loss by Atlanta — something that is very much in play with a tough matchup against the Commanders — would flip the board back in Tampa Bay’s favor. If that happens, the Bucs would just need to win next Sunday against the Saints to clinch the division.
There are other more complicated routes to the playoffs, but the Bucs have already made things harder on themselves than it needed to be. That’s why there’s so much anxiety heading into a game against a very bad Panthers team, one that almost threw Tampa Bay’s season off track once. It took overtime for the Bucs to win last time around in Charlotte, and the stakes unfortunately remain the same in Week 17.
Who are the announcers for Buccaneers vs. Panthers today?
One of the best in the business is working double duty this week, as Ian Eagle is going to be calling his second game in five days. Eagle was one of the announcers for Netflix’s Christmas slate of games, calling the Chiefs-Steelers game and he’ll get a little bit of a vacation by getting to come down to Tampa and some warmer weather than what Pittsburgh offered.
Eagle had J.J. Watt and Nate Burleson in the booth with him on Christmas, and while it will be a CBS broadcast Charlie Davis will be his partner.
Referees for Buccaneers vs. Panthers in Week 17
Head Referee (Crew Chief)
Clay Martin is going to be the head official for Sunday’s game, which is good news for the Buccaneers. Overall Tampa Bay is 6-3 with Martin as an official and it’s something that has benefited the Bucs as recently as this season.
It’s the second time this season that Martin will be working a Bucs game, as he was the official for Week 2’s game against the Lions. If you’ll remember, Tampa Bay won that game and it remains one of the team’s signature wins, so hopefully that bodes well for how things will turn out this time around.
Full Officiating Crew
Here's the rest of Clay Martin’s crew that will be calling the game with him in Week 17:
- Umpire: James Carter
- Down Judge: Jerod Phillips
- Line Judge: Brian Perry
- Side Judge: Alonzo Ramsey
- Field Judge: Dave Hackshaw
- Back Judge: Greg Wilson
Buccaneers vs. Panthers TV channel and start time (December 29th)
Last year the Buccaneers and Panthers played a game late in the season that was strangely broadcast on CBS, and that’s something getting run back at almost the same time. Tampa Bay won that game and they’ve also managed to win both of the games they’ve played on CBS so far this year as well, beating both the Giants and Raiders.
In between those wins was a victory against the Panthers, although it came more as a form of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat rather than a resounding confidence building win. Had the Bucs lost that game their season would have likely been lost and it’s unfortunate that the stakes remain the same with their second meeting, but that’s not dissimilar from where things were a year ago.
Lest we forget the Bucs needed a gritty Week 18 win over the Panthers to clinch a division title, so perhaps we’ve just put ourselves in a position for history to repeats itself.
Here’s everything you need to know to catch today’s game:
- Date: Sunday, December 29, 2024
- Start Time: 1:00 pm ET
- Location: Raymond James Stadium | Tampa, FL
- TV Channel: CBS
- Announcers: Ian Eagle, Charles Davis
- Live Stream: Fubo (Locally)
- Radio: WXTB 97.9 FM | More Radio Affiliates
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