The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers 43-13 at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday, piling up 258 rushing yards behind Bucky Irving’s two touchdowns in a lopsided NFC South result. Baker Mayfield threw for just 64 yards but did not need much more, going 7-of-11 with a touchdown in his return from a thumb injury.
Tampa Bay broke the game open with a 26-point second quarter that included a defensive touchdown, a blocked extra point returned for two points by Carolina and a late touchdown pass from Mayfield to Tez Johnson. The Panthers managed only a field goal and the Waller touchdown during that stretch, and Bryce Young finished 14-of-27 for 163 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions while getting sacked five times. Chuba Hubbard led Carolina’s ground game with just 33 yards on seven carries.
Takeaways From Buccaneers’ Win Over Panthers
Tampa Bay’s ground game overwhelmed Carolina
The Buccaneers ran for 258 yards on 49 carries, a 5.3-yard average that buried the Panthers’ defense all afternoon. Irving carried 24 times for 106 yards and two scores, Kenny Gainwell added 88 yards on 14 attempts and Sean Tucker broke off a 46-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Tampa Bay’s rushing 1st downs totaled 17 compared to just three passing first downs, a split that showed how little Mayfield had to throw the ball.
Carolina’s turnovers turned a close game into a blowout
The Panthers committed four turnovers, including two interceptions by Young and two lost fumbles, while Tampa Bay finished without a single giveaway. Calijah Kancey turned one of those fumbles into a 32-yard return for a touchdown in the second quarter, pushing the lead to 17-0. Carolina also surrendered five sacks and went 0-for-2 on fourth down, compounding the mistakes.
A disastrous second quarter buried the Panthers
Tampa Bay outscored Carolina 26-6 in the second quarter, scoring on four of five possessions. The sequence began with a Chase McLaughlin field goal, continued with Kancey’s defensive touchdown, and closed with Irving’s second rushing score and Mayfield’s touchdown pass to Johnson with four seconds left in the half. Carolina’s only answer was Darren Waller’s 50-yard touchdown catch from Young, with Zyon McCollum returning a blocked extra point for a defensive two-point conversion that actually added to Tampa Bay’s total.
Player Of The Game: Bucky Irving
Irving carried 24 times for 106 yards and two touchdowns, the only Buccaneers player to find the end zone twice. His 4-yard score in the first quarter opened the scoring, and his 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter extended the lead to 26-6. He also added a four-yard catch, giving him a hand in three of Tampa Bay’s six scoring drives.
Buccaneers Vs. Panthers By The Numbers
Tampa Bay out-gained Carolina 322 total yards to 266 despite running 60 plays to Carolina’s 54. The Buccaneers converted 7-of-12 third downs compared to Carolina’s 6-of-11, and Tampa Bay finished 3-of-4 in the red zone against Carolina’s 1-of-2. Carolina was flagged four times for 56 yards, while Tampa Bay drew six penalties for 35 yards. The turnover margin told the story most clearly: Tampa Bay finished plus-four, with zero giveaways against Carolina’s four.
What’s Next
The Buccaneers improved to 2-5 on the season, while the Panthers fell to 3-3. Mayfield’s health coming out of his first start back from the thumb injury will be a storyline to track heading into the next game.
For more on Tampa Bay’s build-up to this game, see the preview of Mayfield’s return and the earlier report on Mayfield’s Week 7 injury. Tampa Bay had also been dealing with the status of safety Antoine Winfield Jr. entering Sunday’s game, and the win follows a tough stretch that included a 26-19 overtime loss to the Steelers.
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