Panthers’ 5-step plan to beat Bucs includes getting Tom Brady in third-and-long

Even before they knew Josh Norman would be returning for a two-game sprint for the playoffs, veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson said Panthers players came back to work Monday after a short Christmas break with a purpose.

“Everybody’s hungry,” Thompson said. “Everybody knows what this is about.”

For a Panthers’ team that has endured a little of everything this season — from Matt Rhule’s firing to Robbie Anderson’s sideline tantrum to the trade of Christian McCaffrey — the postseason scenario is pretty straightforward: Win two games and get in.

What’s not as simple: Standing between the Panthers (6-9) and their first postseason berth in five years is only the greatest player of all time.

It’s been more than two months since the Panthers shocked Tom Brady and the Buccaneers 21-7 in a Week 7 game that came just days after McCaffrey was dealt to San Francisco. The Panthers were 13.5-point underdogs but used a strong running game and a stout defensive performance to give Steve Wilks his first win as interim coach.

NFC South standings

TEAM	W-L	PCT.	GB	PF
7-8	.467	-	266	304
6-9	.400	1	313	337
6-9	.400	1	303	325
5-10	.333	2	315	350

Thompson is certain Brady hasn’t forgotten.

“He definitely remembers this game,” Thompson said. “We both know what is on the line. It’s a big game. It’s to see who’s gonna lock in that South spot.”

As the Panthers try to keep their playoff hopes alive, The Athletic looks at five things they have to do to take down Tampa Bay (7-8) for the second time this season.

1. Have a cornerback step up

The Panthers are expected to be without Jaycee Horn following surgery Tuesday on his broken left wrist. Horn missed the first Bucs matchup with a rib injury, although Donte Jackson came up big with a game-high 10 tackles. With Horn and Jackson (who suffered a season-ending, torn Achilles in Week 10) both out, the Panthers need someone else to rise to the challenge of containing the Bucs’ receiving trio of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Julio Jones, who didn’t face the Panthers in October.

And it can’t only be Norman, the 35-year-old who will be on a pitch count in his first action since the NFC Championship Game last January. Because of his familiarity with Wilks, it shouldn’t take Norman long to get up to speed with the coverages. But Wilks noted the difference between being in shape and being in game shape and said he wouldn’t put too heavy of a workload on Norman on Sunday.

That means Brady will have chances to go after C.J. Henderson and Keith Taylor, both of whom have had coverage issues. Taylor, who played half of the defensive snaps in the first Tampa Bay game, was torched by Mitch Trubisky in the Steelers’ 24-16 win in Charlotte two weeks ago.

But other than veteran T.J. Carrie, there aren’t any other options. “I have total confidence in Keith Taylor if Jaycee’s not there, to be able to step in and start,” Wilks said. “He’s played some good football for us.”

2. ‘Put the GOAT in the web’

That was the phrase that Pro Bowl player Brian Burns used following the Week 7 victory when Burns notched his first career sack against Brady — a 14-yard loss that Burns punctuated with his celebratory Spider-Man pose. That was the Panthers’ only sack of Brady, although Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos each had hits on him.

Because Brady — even at 45 — sees the field and gets rid of the ball so quickly, he is tough to blitz. Plus, interim defensive coordinator Al Holcomb likely doesn’t want to leave his corners in too many man matchups against the Tampa Bay receivers.

The Bucs have the NFL’s worst rushing attack in terms of both yards per game (77.0) and yards per carry (3.39). So the key will be limiting running back Leonard Fournette on first and second downs. The Panthers held Fournette to 19 yards on eight carries in the first matchup, when the Bucs converted only 2-of-12 third downs. Eight of Tampa Bay’s 12 third-down situations were third-and-7 or longer.

With both of Tampa Bay’s offensive tackles — Donovan Smith (foot) and Tristan Wirfs (ankle) — dealing with injuries, there could be opportunities for Burns, Marquis Haynes and Frankie Luvu to get to Brady in third-and-long situations.

“They definitely have some weapons,” Wilks said. “They definitely have some weapons. We’ve got to stop the run first, and then try to make them one-dimensional.”

D’Onta Foreman ran for 165 yards and a TD last week against the Lions. (Bob Donnan / USA Today)

3. Win the interior matchups

Much of the Panthers’ record-setting offensive day against Detroit came right up the gut in the run game. Center Bradley Bozeman and guards Austin Corbett and Brady Christensen were able to neutralize the Lions’ defensive tackles and get to the second level to put blocks on the linebackers, as well.

That left gaping holes for D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard, who were breaking off runs in 20- and 30-yard chunks to become the NFL’s third backfield duo to both hit 100 yards in the first half in the last 40 years. Foreman, who’s in the midst of a breakthrough season, ran for 118 yards on 15 attempts against Tampa Bay in October, while Hubbard added 63 rushing yards and a touchdown.

With Bozeman making his first start with Carolina, the Panthers finished with 173 yards on the ground, one of six games in which an opponent has run for at least 150 yards against Tampa Bay. The Panthers need Bozeman and Christensen to hold up well against defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and nose tackle Vita Vea, who missed Sunday’s game at Arizona with a calf injury.

4. Create an edge on special teams

Given that Shi Smith hurt his ankle against Detroit and seems to turn every punt return into a misadventure, this would be a good week for the Panthers to get back veteran returner Andre Roberts. The 34-year-old Roberts has been out since injuring his knee in the opener against Cleveland, although he was designated to return from injured reserve last week.

The Panthers have 21 days in which to activate him. But given the do-or-die nature of Sunday’s game — and considering Smith hurt his ankle against Detroit — the time is now. “Andre progressed well last week,” Wilks said. “I’m hoping he can give us that spark in the kicking game this week, so we’ll see exactly where he is.”

Roberts, who came to Charlotte on a one-year, $1.75 million contract, was noncommittal Monday when asked about his status.

“This is the longest I’ve missed in my career and I’m planning on not doing that anymore. But yeah, it’s been tough just being on the sideline and just watching everything play out,” he said. “But I have my chance. I have this 21-day window, so we’ll see what happens these next coming weeks.”

The Panthers’ special teams have been solid all season. Punter Johnny Hekker is fourth in the league with a 43.7-yard net average and tied for second with 32 punts downed inside the 20. Eddy Pineiro has connected on 17 consecutive field goals since missing two potential game-winning kicks at Atlanta.

Bucs veteran kicker Ryan Succop has been nearly perfect on shorter kicks, hitting 27-of-28 on field goal tries shorter than 50 yards. But the Hickory, N.C., native and South Carolina graduate is just 2-of-6 from 50 yards and out. If it’s a close game at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, one special teams play could make the difference.

5. Get a little lucky

On a first-down play a little more than a minute into the Oct. 23 game at Bank of America Stadium, Evans came wide open deep down the middle of the field. Brady threw a perfect pass to Evans in stride … and he dropped it.

Evans probably makes that catch 49 out of 50 times. But he didn’t that day. And instead of an early 7-0 lead on the road, the Bucs punted three plays later in a game in which the Panthers never trailed.

No one will confuse this Bucs’ team with an offensive juggernaut. They’ve scored 23 points or fewer in 14 of 15 games, and rank 28^th among 32 teams with an average of 17.7 points a game.

Their offense seems to operate best in hurry-up mode, and Brady has pulled a couple of wins out of his backside in recent weeks with comebacks against the Saints and Cardinals. It would behoove the Panthers to get up by two scores early and try to hang on.

“When you have the greatest to ever do it, it’s pretty easy and pretty simple: They’re never out of the game,” Wilks said. “Tom Brady is in a class of his own and does a tremendous job. You can never count the Buccaneers out.”

And while a little luck would help, the Panthers can also try to make their own with some well-timed blitzes and the occasional downfield shot by Sam Darnold. The Panthers are three games under .500 and in contention for a division title. They’ve already had some good fortune.

“We’re playing great football. It’s not the record that we wanted. I think anybody in our division would probably say the same thing,” Thompson said. “But there’s a lot of stuff at stake right now.”

(Top photo of Brian Burns and Tom Brady: John Byrum / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)