The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t just beat Carolina on Sunday in Charlotte - they took the game apart piece by piece, forcing four turnovers, piling up 258 rushing yards and cruising to a 43-13 win to move to 2-5 and start NFC South play 1-0.
This one was shaped from the opening quarter. Tampa Bay won the toss, took the ball, and made it clear early that Baker Mayfield’s return would be supported by the ground game.
The Buccaneers leaned on their No. 8-ranked rushing attack right away, and Bucky Irving set the tone on the opening possession with 10 carries for 47 yards before finishing it off with a 4-yard touchdown run. That drive lasted nearly eight minutes and put Tampa Bay ahead 7-0 with 7:22 left in the first quarter.
From there, the defense and special teams kept handing the offense short fields and easy breathing room. After Carolina forced a punt, David Moore couldn’t handle a Riley Dixon kick on fourth-and-5, and Ko Kieft recovered the muff at the Panthers’ 18 with 56 seconds left in the first quarter. Tampa Bay settled for a Chase McLaughlin 22-yard field goal early in the second, but the damage was only beginning.
Three plays later, Al-Quadin Muhammad got to Bryce Young on third-and-14, knocked the ball loose, and Calijah Kancey scooped it up and raced 32 yards for a score, even adding a flip into the end zone. Suddenly it was 17-0 with 11:05 left in the first half.
Young briefly answered with a 50-yard touchdown to Darren Waller, but even that didn’t slow the Buccaneers down. On the extra point, Tampa Bay blocked Ryan Fitzgerald’s kick and Zyon McCollum returned it for two points, stretching the lead to 19-6. Irving then struck again, powering in from a yard out with 3:54 left in the half to make it 26-6.
McCollum wasn’t done. Three plays later, he picked off Young at midfield and returned it to the Carolina 32. Mayfield then connected with Tez Johnson for a 14-yard touchdown, giving the Buccaneers a 33-6 halftime cushion and Mayfield his first touchdown pass since returning.
The second half followed the same script: Tampa Bay’s defense keeping Carolina under control and the offense cashing in. Tykee Smith added the Buccaneers’ fourth takeaway with an interception at the Carolina 32 in the third quarter, setting up another McLaughlin field goal from 44 yards out to push the lead to 36-6.
Carolina didn’t reach the red zone until late in the third, and even then the drive ended with Young’s incompletion on fourth-and-1 at the Tampa Bay 5. Once Irving was done after averaging 4.4 yards per carry, Sean Tucker supplied the exclamation point with a 46-yard touchdown run - Tampa Bay’s first 40-plus-point game since 2024.
The Panthers’ final points came after Kenny Pickett replaced Young, when Anthony Tyus III scored on a 12-yard run to make it 43-13 with 5:29 left.
Mayfield finished 7 of 11 for 64 yards and a touchdown, while the Buccaneers controlled the game on the ground and through field position. Carolina, which entered the week as the NFL’s No. 2 team in total offense at 404.4 yards per game, was held to 266 total yards.
Tampa Bay will try to make it two straight NFC South wins when it hosts the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 1.
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 Face A Season Pressure Game In Carolina Shorthanded
Sundays trip to Bank of America Stadium carries a little extra weight for Tampa Bay, and it comes with a depleted roster on both sides. The Buccaneers head to Carolina on Oct. 25 with several players unavailable, adding another layer of difficulty to a division matchup that already has plenty riding on it. Fans who want to follow along can catch the game locally on FOX, with streaming options on NFL+ and NFL Sunday Ticket, while radio coverage is set for WXTB 97.9 FM and SiriusXM Channel 380.
The injury list is the bigger story for Tampa Bay, though, because it trims away some of the teams margin for error at a time when every AFC South-style slip in the division feels magnified. Carolina has its own absences to manage, but the Buccaneers challenge is figuring out how to get through a road game without some key pieces available, and how much it can still demand from a shorthanded group in a matchup that could shape the tone of the stretch ahead. [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 🡒]