The Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Panthers Mayfield return storyline headlines Week 7 when the 1-5 Buccaneers visit the 3-2 Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET in Charlotte, with the game airing on Fox. Tampa Bay has lost 12 of its past 15 games and sits last in the NFC South, 2.5 games behind the division-leading Panthers, who dethroned the Buccaneers as division champions last season despite a losing record.
Baker Mayfield is expected to start for Tampa Bay after missing three games with a dislocated right thumb, according to ESPN. Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said Mayfield “looked pretty good” throwing with a glove on his hand after a full practice Wednesday, Fox Sports reported.
Buccaneers Vs Panthers Game Information
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 25
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Venue: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
- TV: Fox
- Records: Buccaneers 1-5, Panthers 3-2
Buccaneers Outlook
Tampa Bay’s offense has struggled without Mayfield, averaging just 19.8 points and 186.0 passing yards per game while allowing 3.7 sacks a contest, the second-worst sack rate in those categories among the two teams. The Buccaneers also rank 20th in the league against the pass, a number that will be tested against a Carolina passing attack averaging 309.8 yards per game.
Where Tampa Bay holds an edge is against the run. The Buccaneers allow just 75.5 rushing yards per game, second-best in the league, and have finished in the top five in rushing defense in six of the past seven seasons. Running back Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay’s leading rusher with 452 yards and two touchdowns on 96 carries, ranks fourth in the NFL in forced missed tackle percentage at 29.1% since entering the league in 2024, though he did not practice Wednesday because of illness, according to Yahoo Sports.
Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, the team’s leading receiver with 28 catches for 240 yards and two touchdowns, also missed Wednesday’s session with concussion and foot injuries and is listed as questionable. Tampa Bay had 16 players on its injury report Wednesday as illness spread through the locker room, per Yahoo Sports. Related: Baker Mayfield’s Week 7 injury news and Antoine Winfield Jr.’s injury status detail the team’s banged-up roster heading into Charlotte.
Panthers Outlook
Carolina enters off a 25-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles and has won three of its past four games. Quarterback Bryce Young leads the NFL in passing yards per game and ranks fifth in touchdown passes per game at 2.2, with 15 completions of 25 yards or longer, third most in the league. Young is making his 50th career start and is in his third season running the same offensive system under coach Dave Canales, Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator in 2023.
The Panthers have scored 146 points and 17 touchdowns through five games, the most in franchise history to this point in a season, and their 2,022 total yards are the second-most through five games since the franchise’s 1995 inception. Carolina had 10 players on its injury report Wednesday, including linebacker Jaelan Phillips, who is doubtful with a hamstring injury, and linebacker Thomas Incoom, listed as questionable with a calf issue.
Key Matchup
Bryce Young’s downfield passing attack against Tampa Bay’s pass defense is the central question. The Buccaneers rank fourth in the league in total yards allowed but 20th against the pass, a split that could let Young continue a streak in which he is trying to become the first Carolina player to throw for at least 250 yards and one touchdown in nine straight games, including the postseason. Tampa Bay defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson, who spent the past two seasons with Carolina and recorded 145 tackles and eight sacks in 32 games there, gives the Buccaneers familiarity with the Panthers’ offensive line as they try to generate pressure on Young.
Players To Watch
Baker Mayfield, QB, Buccaneers
Mayfield is 6-1 as a starter against Carolina, with five of those wins coming since he signed with Tampa Bay. He threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2023 under Canales, who called plays for the Buccaneers that season before taking over as Carolina’s head coach.
Chase McLaughlin, K, Buccaneers
McLaughlin has made 14 field goals this season, tied for third-most in the NFL, and has not missed a kick, according to Fox Sports. His reliability could matter in a game where Tampa Bay’s offense has had trouble finishing drives in the end zone.
What To Watch
Carolina leads the all-time series 26-25, but Tampa Bay has won five of the past six meetings and eight of the last 10, including a 16-13 win on Jan. 3 in Tampa. A Buccaneers win would cut into the Panthers’ division lead, while a Carolina victory would push Tampa Bay further back in the NFC South with the Buccaneers still searching for their first division title since 2024. The next scheduled update on injury designations typically comes with Friday’s final report, with official game-day status confirmed before the 1 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday.
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