The Carolina Panthers and their front office are getting a painful lesson in just how high the injury rate is for NFL running backs. According to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN, the team is placing their breakout star in the backfield Chuba Hubbard on the injured reserve list with a calf/knee injury.

The Buccaneers are 8-7 and need to win out in order to make the postseason. Tampa Bay had its four-game winning streak snapped at Dallas (26-24) on Monday Night Football, so this is a bounce-back spot at home. The Bucs host the Saints next weekend, so two divisional wins against teams with losing records and a little help is what Tampa Bay needs.

Preview the Week 17 matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers with predictions, odds, over/under, spread, betting lines and more.

Mike Florio and Chris Simms have questions surrounding the strength of the Buccaneers, specifically on defense, against a Panthers team who have played "hard" down the stretch.