The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and veteran quarterback Tom Brady may have lost their season opener to the New Orleans Saints, 34-23, but they are the favorites when they take on the Carolina Panthers According to CBS Sports, the Buccaneers are 8.5-point favorite over the Panthers in their NFC South clash on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium., per latest odds from William Hill. The over-under for total points is set at 47.5. USA Today Sports, for its part, placed the Buccaneers as an 8-point favorite over the Teddy Bridgewater-led Panthers, who also lost their first game to the Las Vegas Raiders, 34-30.

Brady was not his usual self against the Saints, completing just 23 of 36 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions, including a pick six. Bridgewater, for his part, completed 22 of 34 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers.

Brady will face the Panthers without one of his favorite targets as wide receiver Chris Godwin was ruled out for Sunday’s game due to concussion symptoms after he was hit in the head in their loss to the Saints. While he was listed in the injury report as doubtful, Godwin missed practice most of the week as he was under the league’s concussion protocol. With Godwin out, the Buccaneers look to wide receiver Mike Evans as Brady’s main target with Scotty Miller and Justin Watson seeing plenty of action.

Godwin was the leading wideout in their loss to the Saints, catching six passes for 79 yards from Brady.

Panthers wary of Brady

Even though Brady struggled against the Saints, the Panthers are still wary of the 43-year-old quarterback’s ability to bounce back strong following a loss, according to a report by Myles Simmons of Panthers.com.

Rookie safety Jeremy Chinn, who was two years old when Brady made his NFL debut in 2000, said he’s excited to face the veteran quarterback but “there's also a job to be done.” Panthers safety Juston Burris, who faced Brady as a member of the Cleveland Browns last year, said the veteran quarterback is an NFL player “just like we are”, adding that “you've got to go make plays on him.”

But Burris is wary about Brady’s ability to control the game, which he did in the New England Patriots’ 27-13 win over the Browns last season.

"You'll see him actually controlling the game," Burris said, adding that Brady is one of the few quarterbacks who can manage the game. Veteran middle linebacker Tahir Whitehead praised Brady’s command, which he first witnessed when he was a member of the Detroit Lions in 2014. According to Whitehead, they lost to Brady, 34-9, in a game where the veteran quarterback showed his ability to recognize the defense.

Brady tweets about RBG

On Saturday, Brady paid tribute to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday at age of 87 due to complications surrounding metastatic pancreatic cancer. In a tweet, Brady said: “Rest In Peace to a legend. A role model. A fighter for justice and equal rights.” “We should all aspire to live our lives as principled as RBG lead hers.

We should all aim to bring a little more love to this world,” Brady added on Twitter.
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