Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5 Players that must shine vs. Panthers in Week 2

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heading to a pivotal Week 2 divisional matchup on Thursday against the Panthers. Here are five players who must stand out.

On Thursday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will kick off the Week 2 slate of NFL games when they travel to Charlotte to take on the division rival Carolina Panthers in primetime. Coming off a rough opening loss, the Bucs need to buckle down on both sides of the ball, particularly on offense, to leave Bank of America Stadium with their first win of the Bruce Arians era.

Here are five players who need to stand out in the road tilt against a tough Panthers team in order for the Buccaneers to secure that victory.

5. QB Jameis Winston

As we know, the success of every team is often correlated to how well the quarterback performs. To put it frankly, that’s why the Bucs have struggled for much of Jameis Winston’s time at the helm. Although he flashes franchise quarterback material each time he’s on the field, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2015 NFL Draft consistently takes chances that lead to turnovers and other bad situations.

Throughout his career, Winston has often struggled against the Panthers. This is a cycle that he must break in order for the Bucs to have a good chance to win on Thursday night. Although I previously predicted he wouldn’t do that, I really hope I’m wrong.

The Bucs can’t afford to stumble to an 0-2 start and it will be much easier for them if Winston can play up to his potential. His performance could very well between the difference between a .500 start and a winless start.