The Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to Charlotte on Sunday afternoon for a matchup with the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium, and the stakes are plain: Tampa Bay is 1-5 and badly needs a win to keep its season from slipping further away. A victory over the first-place Panthers would also help the Buccaneers claw back in the NFC South race and finally notch their first divisional win of the year.
Kickoff is set for Sunday, October 25, at 1:00 pm ET. AccuWeather.com is calling for a crisp fall afternoon, with temperatures around 63 degrees and partly cloudy skies at kickoff before climbing to 70 degrees by the end of the fourth quarter.
The Buccaneers’ injury list is a tough one. WR Emeka Egbuka (concussion/foot), OT Luke Goedeke (calf) and S Antoine Winfield Jr. (rib) have all been ruled OUT. On Carolina’s side, OLB Jaelan Phillips (hamstring) and OLB Travis Incoom (calf) have also been ruled OUT.
For viewers watching on television, Sunday’s game will air locally on FOX. Kevin Kugler will handle play-by-play, Daryl Johnston will be the analyst, and Allison Williams will report from the sidelines.
Streaming options are also available. In-market viewers can watch on NFL+, while out-of-market fans can stream the game on NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV.
On the radio, the Buccaneers’ flagship broadcast will air on WXTB 97.9 FM, with Tony Castricone on play-by-play, Dave Moore as the color analyst and Jay Recher on the sideline. The radio stream will also be available nationally on SiriusXM Ch. 380.
In Other News...
Baker Mayfield Carries One Huge Buccaneers Question Into Panthers Game
Baker Mayfield has carried the Buccaneers through the first part of the season with the kind of toughness Tampa Bay has come to expect, and now he heads into Week 7 with a little extra attention on his right hand. Officially listed as questionable against Carolina, Mayfield was a full participant in practice all week after dislocating his thumb in Week 3, leaving the team to sort through the usual pregame injury-report suspense around its quarterback.
Todd Bowles said Mayfield looks ready to play, which is the key development for a Buccaneers offense that also has to navigate the absence of top receiver Emeka Egbuka, who has been ruled out with a concussion. Mayfield is expected to wear a custom glove on the injured hand, a small but notable detail for a team that would rather keep the conversation centered on the game plan than on what its quarterback is wearing when he takes the field. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Get The Weather Break They Needed In Carolina
A much-needed break is waiting for Tampa Bay in Charlotte, where the Buccaneers are set to play the Panthers under sunny skies and mild temperatures around 65 to 70 degrees. After dealing with some less cooperative conditions in recent weeks, the setting at Bank of America Stadium should be about as clean as it gets for an offense trying to get back on track, with no rain expected and only a moderate breeze in the forecast.
The wind, listed around 10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph, should not force any real changes to Tampa Bay's game plan, especially with Baker Mayfield on track to return after missing three games because of a thumb injury. It could still be enough to add a little difficulty on the edges of the operation, particularly for the kicking game and for any longer punts, but the bigger picture is simple: the Buccaneers should be able to lean on their passing attack without the weather getting in the way. [Read more 🡒]
Todd Bowles Is Facing A Buccaneers Problem That Feels Bigger Now
The Buccaneers have spent much of this season trapped in a familiar kind of frustration, the sort that keeps a coach answering the same questions after another narrow loss. Tampa Bay is 1-5 and sitting last in the NFC South, but the standings have not fully captured how messy the stretch has been. The team has also played half the season without Baker Mayfield, who went down with a dislocated thumb, leaving Todd Bowles to sort through a difficult opening half with little margin for error.
What makes the situation feel heavier is how thin the line has been between better and worse. Tampa Bay has been in a run of close games, and the Bucs have now won only three of their last 15, a mark that sits below what recent predecessors managed over the same stretch. Even with the division still within reach because of other teams' struggles, the larger issue is harder to ignore: the Buccaneers keep living on the edge, and the results have started to look like more than just bad breaks. [Read more 🡒]