Buccaneers vs Panthers: Week 18 inactives

As the Buccaneers put the distractions of last week behind them, they set out to sweep the Panthers and put themselves in position for the number two seed in the NFC if they get a little help from their former safety and Hall of Famer’s team in San Francisco.

There are still plenty of players out for the Bucs - Jason Pierre-Paul, Shaquil Barrett, Leonard Fournette, Lavonte David, Gio Bernard - but Tampa Bay isn’t sitting back this week. Those that can play, will.

Mike Evans is looking to extend his NFL record to an unprecedented eighth straight season to start a career with 1,000 receiving yards and needs just 54 yards to do it. Meanwhile, Rob Gronkowski can hit some incentive bonuses with seven catches, 85 yards, and three touchdowns. Any of those individual marks can net him $500,000 in bonuses for a total of $1.5 million.

Tom Brady is also looking to solidify his place as NFL MVP with a solid performance. With Jonathan Taylor struggling against Jacksonville and Aaron Rodgers only playing a half in Detroit, Brady could find himself breaking an NFL record for passing yards in a season (needs 488) but could also set a career best with 246 passing yards today.

Here are the inactive players for the Bucs and Panthers ahead of the final game in the 2021 regular season;

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

OLB - Jason Pierre-Paul

CB - Richard Sherman

OL - Nick Leverett

QB - Kyle Trask

RB - Ronald Jones

WR - Justin Watson

Carolina Panthers:

QB - P.J. Walker

S - Jeremy Chinn

S - Sean Chandler

LB - Kamal Martin

DE - Jacob Tuioti-Mariner

DE - Azur Kamara

G - John Miller

The Bucs and Panthers kickoff in Raymond James Stadium at 4:25 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on CBS with Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Tracy Wolfson on the call.