Not long ago, hell maybe even last year, Joe was hoping for a bunch of primetime games. Now? Joe hopes to never see a Bucs primetime game that’s not a Super Bowl.

(Besides, after night games, if Joe is in bed by 5 a.m., that’s considered a personal win.)

Why? Both KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles and Baker Mayfield have brutal primetime game histories. It’s enough that if a person is only worried about money, it’s a good gamble to fade the Bucs.

As a result, Joe hopes the Bucs somehow get flexed out of their three primetime games this fall.

Steven Louis Goldstein of The Athletic thinks little of the NFC South and doesn’t think much of either the Stinking Panthers or Bucs rosters. But, he typed, that’s why this game could be compelling.

Goldstein says this matchup to close Thanksgiving Weekend is the second-worst game on Monday Night Football this season.

16. Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Week 12)
Austin Mock’s updated roster projections leave much to be desired here — Tampa Bay sits 19th and Carolina is down to 25th. And this is the Monday night following Thanksgiving weekend, so Panthers-Bucs is dinged by viewer fatigue after NFL broadcasts that Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday (plus college football’s Saturday rivalry slate). At least the participants are well acquainted and evenly matched.

Number to know: 5, the combined margin of victory in last year’s two meetings. Carolina won the Week 16 game 23-20, and Tampa Bay took the Week 18 finale by a 16-14 final. This pairing might not be the most glamorous, but it should at least be close.

Just like Joe is scared of how Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins match up on Benjamin Morrison and Zyon McCollum, Joe doesn’t like the thought of those two Bucs corners stopping rookie receiver Chris Brazzell and Tet Offensive McMillan.

No, those two are not Chase/Higgins. But by Week 12, Brazzell should have a handle on what to expect from NFL corners.