After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost an overtime struggle to Pittsburgh in Week Six, Head Coach Todd Bowles told his team that the season was not lost, but what was gone was the team's "margin for error." Those words will echo in the next two weeks when the Buccaneers finally play their first two contests against NFC South foes, beginning with the division-leading Carolina Panthers in Charlotte on Sunday. The word that Bowles used the most in his postgame press conference, though, was "finish," in that the Buccaneers have been competitive in every single game this season but have not made the plays at the end of games to get more wins. Against the Steelers, the Buccaneers took a 16-3 lead into the fourth quarter but couldn't hold it.

"You never have the game under control in this league until it's over," said Bowles. "We knew it was going to be a hard-fought battle. They are a tough team, and we knew it was going to go down to the end."

It's a strong likelihood that the 1-5 Buccaneers and 3-2 Panthers will be fighting down to the wire again on in Week Seven. Last season, the two teams met twice in the final three weeks with the NFC South hanging in the balance. Carolina won the first one by three points on a late fourth-quarter field goal. The Buccaneers won the rematch by two points when they were able to drain the clock on offense at the end in order to kill a Panthers rally.

The quarterbacks are the story as the Bucs and Panthers get set to renew a rivalry that is almost dead even after a quarter-century in the same division (Carolina leads it, 26-25). That's particularly the case in Tampa, where the issue starts with determining exactly who the quarterback is going to be on Sunday. Baker Mayfield has missed three games due to a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand but he returned to practice on Wednesday and had an encouraging outing. If his hand responds well to the work on Thursday and Friday, he could be able to return against a team for which he has a little extra enmity. If not, undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels will start a fourth game.

The Buccaneers' offense was up and down in Mayfield's three starts this season (and has remained so with Daniels at the helm) but Mayfield's full body of work in four years with the team suggest that it could improve significantly upon his return. Neither he nor the team wanted him to miss any time due to injury, but a chance to watch and evaluate everything that is going on with the offense could have a positive effect when he does return.

"Like I said, I think he's learned a lot. He's going to always be the ultimate competitor, but he understands what he has around him, and he can't do it by himself," said Bowles. "He just has to trust his guys, and he does, and if he comes back, I'm pretty sure he will."

Meanwhile, the Panthers' passer, Bryce Young has made a stunning leap in his fourth season after a season and a half of more steady progression. Young averaged 179.8 passing yards as a rookie, 171.6 in his second year and 188.2 in 2025. Through five starts this year he has averaged a league-leading 309.8 yards per game and the Panthers have the league's top-ranked passing attack. Young has never thrown for more than 23 touchdowns in a season; he's on pace for 37 this season. In addition, while he has not scrambled much for yardage so far this season, the former Alabama star using good mobility to get away from pressure and make plays out of structure. That's a factor Buccaneer defenders have to be prepared for on Sunday.

"We never want to say anything is an issue," said defensive back Keionte Scott. "We definitely want to say it's something that we're looking into and definitely something that we're going to have to manage. He does a good job of creating plays with his legs, running and throwing, so it's something that we're definitely looking into."

Carolina's offense ranks second overall with 404.4 yards per game, a dramatic improvement from 2025, when the team was 27th at 295.6 yards per game. One significant change was Head Coach Dave Canales handing play-calling duties over to Offensive Coordinator Brad Idzik, who has done a good job of mixing up looks and play calls. Idzik has helped Young get the ball to a talented group of skill-position players led by running back Chuba Hubbard and wideouts Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker.

"I mean, they're so much more multiple than they were [before]," said Bowles. "I think Brad [Idzik] has done an outstanding job of mixing things up and changing personnel and getting everybody involved in the offense – that's not an easy thing to do. He's executing, and Bryce is playing at a very high level."

Tampa Bay will counter with a defense that ranks in the top 10 in many league rankings, including yards allowed, rushing yards allowed, first downs allowed and third-down success rate allowed. That defense was stifling for three quarters against Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers but gave up three long third-down conversions in the fourth period and overtime as the game slipped away. On Sunday against an ascending Panthers squad, the Buccaneers will be seeking to play a full four solid quarters in an effort to crawl back into the NFC South race.

"[You have] to finish them," said Bowles. "Yeah, you [have to] finish. You can't finish them unless you do it. We can practice it all we want, but unless you do it [in the game] …You [have] to finish it."

GAME AND BROADCAST DETAILS

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-5) at Carolina Panthers (3-2)

Sunday, October 25, 1:00 p.m. ET

Bank of America Stadium (capacity: 73,778)

Charlotte, North Carolina

Television: FOX

TV Broadcast Team: Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Daryl Johnston (analyst), Allison Williams (reporter)

Radio: 98Rock (WXTB, 97.9 FM), Flagship Station

Radio Broadcast Team: Tony Castricone (play-by-play), Dave Moore (analyst), Jay Recher (reporter)

Spanish Radio: 96.1 Caliente

Spanish Radio Broadcast Team: Martin Gramática, Santiago Gramática

ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES

The Buccaneers ended their 2025 season with a win over Carolina, and while that unfortunately wasn't enough to take home a fifth straight division title due to a complicated tiebreaker, it did come close to evening up the all-time series between the two. If the Buccaneers can secure another victory in Charlotte on Sunday, it will be all knotted up, as the Panthers currently lead by one game, 26-25. The Buccaneers have tightened up the series considerably by winning 10 of the last 12 meetings and 12 of the last 15. That includes consecutive season sweeps in 2020 and 2021, the first time the Bucs had managed that against Carolina since the NFC South was formed in 2002. They then duplicated that feat in 2023 and 2024

The Buccaneers and Panthers also met three times before realignment put them in the same division, including a contest in Death Valley that the Bucs won, 20-13, in the Panthers' 1995 inaugural season.

The two teams met twice in the final three weeks of last season as the NFC South was coming down to the wire, and it resulted in a split, with two very tight finishes. The Bucs' win at home in Week 18 saw them take a 16-7 lead in the fourth quarter following one Baker Mayfield-to-Cade Otton touchdown pass and three Chase McLaughlin field goals. Bryce Young hit Jalen Coker on an eight-yard scoring pass with 2:27 left to make it 16-14 but the Bucs were able to keep it at that score by running out all but the last 18 seconds. Two weeks prior to that game, Panthers rookie safety Lathan Ransom intercepted Mayfield in Panthers territory in the game's final minute to seal a 23-20 decision. Young threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns, including a backbreaker with seven seconds left in the first half on a 22-yard pass to rookie WR Tetairoa McMillan.

The Bucs' 2024 sweep of the Panthers included two very different types of victory. The first was a dramatic 26-23 victory in overtime in Charlotte in Week 13. Young threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Adam Thielen to give Carolina a 23-20 lead with 30 seconds left in regulation. Mayfield was able to drive the Bucs into position for McLaughlin to hit a game-tying 51-yard field goal as time expired. Tampa Bay won the overtime coin toss but McLaughlin missed a 55-yard field goal and the Panthers subsequently drove into Buccaneers territory before Anthony Nelson forced a Chuba Hubbard fumble that was recovered by Yaya Diaby. A 38-yard run by Rachaad White set McLaughlin up for the 30-yard game-winner. In the rematch in Tampa in Week 17, the Bucs took the drama out of it, opening up a 27-7 lead by the second quarter and cruising to a 48-14 decision. Mayfield threw five touchdown passes against no interceptions, including two scores each to Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan.

The Buccaneers got another season sweep in 2023, with both games occurring in the last six weeks of the season. The first meeting was in Week 13, which the Buccaneers won 21-18 in Tampa. On a rainy afternoon and early evening, the Bucs outlasted a game Panthers squad thanks to wide receiver Chris Godwin's 19-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter on an end-around. That gave the home team an 11-point lead, which the Panthers shaved to three on Hubbard's one-yard touchdown run with five minutes to go. Carolina got the ball back with 3:31 to play but safety Antoine Winfield Jr. saved the Bucs with an interception near midfield. In the rematch in Charlotte in Week 18, Winfield made another critical play, stripping Panthers wide receiver D.J. Chark of the ball inches before the goal line on what seemed certain to be a 43-yard touchdown. That play helped preserve a shutout as the two teams combined for just 447 yards of offense and all the points in a 9-0 decision came on McLaughlin field goals.

Since the two teams started playing each other twice a year, the head-to-head battle has traditionally been one-sided in any given season, though that side often flips back and forth. From 2002-17, 13 of the 16 season series between these two teams ended in a sweep, including every one from 2009 through 2017. It went Carolina's way in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017. The Bucs got the sweep in 2002, 2010, 2012 and 2016 plus the ones mentioned above. Interestingly, the four splits came in years the Buccaneers either made the playoffs (2005, 2007) or came really close: 2008, which ended in a four-game losing streak after a 9-3 start, and 2025, with the aforementioned tiebreaker that was ultimately and strangely decided by a Falcons-Saints game the day after the Bucs beat the Panthers.

The 2022 head-to-head, however, was a split, with each team winning at home. Carolina handed the Bucs perhaps their most humbling loss of the season in Week Seven, a 21-3 drubbing at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The Panthers came into the game with a 1-5 record and had recently fired Head Coach Matt Rhule and traded superstar running back Christian McCaffrey. Third-string quarterback P.J. Walker completed 16 of his 22 passes and tossed two touchdowns against no interceptions and running backs D'Onta Foreman and Hubbard combined for 181 rushing yards.

The rematch in Week 17 proved to be one of the Buccaneers' most important wins in recent years as it clinched the team's second straight NFC South title and made a potential divisional free-for-all in Week 18 moot. It didn't come easily, as the Panthers rushed out to a quick 14-0 lead on two Sam Darnold touchdown passes, but Tom Brady solved the problem by repeatedly throwing moon shots to Mike Evans. Evans caught touchdown passes of 63, 57 and 30 yards and finished the game with 207 yards on 10 grabs. His last one put the Bucs in the lead for the first time in the fourth quarter, and a Brady touchdown run provided the final winning margin in a 30-24 squeaker.

The Bucs and Panthers met twice in the final three weeks of the 2021 season, with Tampa Bay taking both contests by a combined score of 73-23. In the regular season finale, the Buccaneers got 137 receiving yards from Rob Gronkowski and two touchdown receptions from Evans before wideout Scotty Miller capped the scoring by taking an end-around 33 yards for a touchdown. Two weeks earlier, the Buccaneers had prevailed at Bank of America Stadium when the defense sacked quarterbacks Darnold and Cam Newton a total of seven times and allowing just two field goals. Safety Jordan Whitehead had a key interception and three pass break-ups. Ke'Shawn Vaughn's 55-yard touchdown jaunt, the Bucs' longest run of the year, started the scoring and emerging wideout Cyril Grayson accounted for 95 yards of offense, including a 62-yard reception.

In 2020, the Bucs' September win at home against Carolina was the first of 15 they would stack up on their way to a Super Bowl championship, and the first win as a Buccaneer for Brady. Leonard Fournette paced the offense with 116 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns and Carlton Davis and Whitehead each had interceptions off Teddy Bridgewater in a 31-17 decision. The rematch in Charlotte in November was a high-scoring affair that included the longest run in Buccaneers' history, Ronald Jones' 98-yard touchdown dash. Incredibly, the Buccaneers scored on 10 straight possessions to pull away from the Panthers for a 46-23 win.

In 2019, the Buccaneers secured a tight win in Charlotte on a Thursday night in Week Two when Vernon Hargreaves knocked McCaffrey out of bounds two yards shy of the sticks on an all-or-nothing fourth-down run off a direct snap. That 20-14 Bucs win was balanced four weeks later by a 37-26 win for Carolina in a game played in London.

Perhaps the most notable wins for Tampa Bay in the series with Carolina came in 2002 and 2005. At the midpoint of the 2002 Super Bowl campaign, the Buccaneers were coming off a deflating loss in Philadelphia (again) and had to play at Carolina without their quarterback, Brad Johnson, who woke up with the flu. Defense dominated and the Bucs were trailing 9-6 late in the fourth quarter before Martin Gramatica saved the day with two long field goals. In 2005, the Buccaneers were in the middle of a late-season three-game road swing when they went to Bank of America Stadium and won a battle for first place by a 20-10 score. Ronde Barber punctuated that game with a sack and a critical interception, becoming the first cornerback ever to reach 40 interceptions and 25 sacks in his career.

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS

• Dave Canales is in his third year as the Panthers' head coach, landing that job after his excellent one-season performance as the Buccaneers' offensive coordinator in 2023. Canales helped Baker Mayfield revive his career, as the veteran quarterback threw for 4,044 yards and a career-high 28 touchdowns in 2023.
• When Canales left the Buccaneers for the Panthers, he was followed by three former members of Tampa Bay's offensive coaching staff. Brad Idzik, who tutored the receivers for Tampa Bay in 2023, is Canales's offensive coordinator, while Assistant Head Coach/Run Game Coordinator Harold Goodwin and Offensive Line Coach Joe Gilbert landed in similar positions in Charlotte.
• Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht was a member of the Panthers' scouting staff in 1998.
• Mayfield spent the majority of the 2022 season with the Panthers. He was traded to Carolina by the Cleveland Browns in July of 2022 and subsequently won a preseason competition with Sam Darnold to earn the opening-day starting job under center. He played in seven games with six starts for the Panthers before being waived in December and claimed by the Rams.
• Defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson is in his first season with the Buccaneers and he spent the previous two seasons in Carolina. Robinson 32 games for the Panthers in that span and contributed 145 tackles and 8.0 sacks.
• Linebacker Christian Rozeboom was Robinson's teammate in 2025 with the Panthers, and the two are teammates again this year in Tampa. Rozeboom only played one season for Carolina but he started 15 games and contributed 122 tackle, 2.0 sacks and an interception.
• Panthers WR David Moore, who is currently on injured reserve, played for the Buccaneers in 2023, splitting the season between the practice squad and the active roster. Moore got into seven games and contributed five catches for 94 yards and a touchdown that season, and he scored another touchdown in the playoffs.
• Carolina Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero launched his NFL coaching career in 2007 when he joined Jon Gruden's staff as a defensive quality control coach. He held that position for two seasons under Gruden and one more under Raheem Morris.
• Similarly, Todd Wash, now the Panthers' defensive line coach, got his first NFL coaching job in Tampa in the same year, and with the same title of defensive quality control coach. He was promoted in 2008 to defensive line coach and held that job for three seasons before moving on to the Seattle Seahawks.

SENIOR COACHING STAFFS

Tampa Bay:

• Head Coach Todd Bowles
• Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson
• Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Kevin Carberry
• Pass Game Coordinator (OFF) T.J. Yates
• Pass Game Coordinator (DEF) George Edwards
• Run Game Coordinator/Outside Linebackers Coach Larry Foote
• Special Teams Coordinator Danny Smith

Carolina:

• Head Coach Dave Canales
• Offensive Coordinator Brad Idzik
• Assistant Head Coach/Run Game Coordinator Harold Goodwin
• Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero
• Special Teams Coordinator Tracy Smith

2026 ROSTER ADDITIONS

Buccaneers:

• LB Alex Anzalone (UFA)
• OLB Rueben Bain Jr. (1st-round draft pick)
• DL DeMonte Capehart (5th-round draft pick)
• RB Kenneth Gainwell (UFA)
• CB Ayden Garnes (UDFA)
• WR Ted Hurst (3rd-round draft pick)
• S Miles Killebrew (UFA)
• CB Kevin Knowles (W-KC)
• OLB Al-Quadin Muhammad (UFA)
• DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches (UFA)
• DL A'Shawn Robinson (FA)
• LB Christian Rozeboom (UFA)
• QB Brett Rypien (FA…currently on practice squad)
• DB Keionte Scott (3rd-round draft pick)
• TE Bauer Sharp (6th-round draft pick)
• WR David Sills (FA…currently on injured reserve)
• G Billy Schrauth (5th-round draft pick)
• T Justin Skule (UFA)
• QB Easton Stick (FA…currently on practice squad)
• LB Jeremiah Trotter (2nd-round draft pick)

Panthers:

• WR Chris Brazzell (3rd-round draft pick…on injured reserve)
• G Corey Bullock (W-BAL)
• RB A.J. Dillon (UFA)
• LB Tyrel Dodson (FA)
• DT TeRah Edwards (T-LAC)
• C Luke Fortner (UFA)
• T Stone Forsyth (UFA)
• TE Feleipe Franks (UFA)
• T Monroe Freeling (1st-round draft pick)
• DT Aaron Hall (UDFA)
• C Sam Hecht (5th-round draft pick)
• DT Lee Hunter (2nd-round draft pick)
• QB Haynes King (UDFA)
• LB Jackson Kuwatch (7th-round draft pick)
• CB Will Lee (4th-round draft pick)
• LB Devin Lloyd (UFA)
• WR John Metchie (FA)
• LB Bobby Okereke (FA)
• OLB Jaelen Phillips (UFA)
• QB Kenny Pickett (UFA)
• T Albert Reese (UDFA)
• G Torricelli Simpkins (FA)
• T Rasheed Walker (UFA)
• TE Darren Waller (FA)
• S Zakee Wheatley (5th-round draft pick)

ADDITIONAL 2026 CHANGES/DEVELOPMENTS OF NOTE

Buccaneers:

• The Buccaneers brought in a quartet of new coaches on the offensive side of the ball, beginning with Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson, who replaces Josh Grizzard. Robinson came to Tampa after two seasons in the same role for the Atlanta Falcons on Raheem Morris' staff, and he has coaching roots with the L.A. Rams in the Sean McVay system. The Buccaneers also hired T.J. Yates, who worked with Robinson in Atlanta, as their new pass game coordinator and brought in Chandler Whitmer from the college ranks to be the quarterbacks coach. Whitmer spent the 2025 season with Indiana, helping Fernando Mendoza win the Heisman Trophy and the Hoosiers capture their first national championship. Ken Zampese also joined Todd Bowles' staff as a senior offensive assistant/pass game specialist.
• Tampa Bay also made a significant change in another phase of the game, hiring long-time NFL special teams guru Danny Smith to coordinate that crew. Smith has more than three decades of coaching experience in the NFL, including 29 as a special teams coordinator, the last 13 with Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. Luke Smith, Danny's nephew, also followed him from Pittsburgh to Tampa to serve as the Bucs' assistant special teams coach.
• The Bucs also might a couple changes on their defensive coaching staff, including the hiring of Marcus West to be the new defensive line coach. In addition, Tim Atkins and Rashad Johnson were promoted from previous positions to safeties coach and cornerbacks coach, respectively.
• A franchise era ended early in 2026 when two long-time Buccaneer icons, wide receiver Mike Evans and Lavonte David, left the team. Evans signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an unrestricted free agent, ending an illustrious 12-year run in Tampa in which he completely rewrote the team's receiving record book, moved into the top 10 in NFL history in career touchdown catches and became the first player ever to begin a career with 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons. David retired following a 14-year career – making him one of only three Buccaneers to play at least 14 seasons in Tampa – in which he tied Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks for the most tackles in team annals. Both Evans and David are potential Hall of Famers as well and are considered two of the most accomplished figures in Buccaneers history.
• In August, the Buccaneers and defensive lineman Vita Vea agreed to a contract extension that runs through the 2027 season. Vea, the 12th overall pick in the 2018 draft, has recorded 35.0 sacks, eighth most in franchise history, and has been a linchpin in one of the league's best run defenses while earning two Pro Bowl invitations. Then, just prior to the start of the regular season, the Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield were able to agree on a contract extension through the 2029 season that makes the quarterback the highest-paid player in franchise history. Mayfield threw for 12,237 yards and 95 touchdowns in his first three seasons at the helm of the Bucs' offense, ranking in the top three in both categories in the NFL during that span.

Panthers:

• The Panthers didn't make any significant changes to their coaching staff in 2026, but they did make one important operational change. After some reflection following the end of his second season as Carolina's head coach, Dave Canales chose to cede his play-calling responsibilities to Brad Idzik, who had followed him from Tampa to Charlotte. Canales said the decision was a difficult one for him because he enjoyed calling plays, but he felt that holding onto that role was keeping him from being as effective as he could possibly as a head coach.
• Carolina remade their quarterback room behind Bryce Young in the offseason. The team signed both Kenny Pickett and Will Grier to be backups and traded veteran Andy Dalton, who had been in that role the past two seasons, to Philadelphia. After the draft, the Panthers signed undrafted free agent Haynes King out of Georgia Tech, and King ended up winning the third spot on the depth chart instead of Grier.
• In addition to being very active in unrestricted free agency (Jaelen Phillips, Devin Lloyd, Rasheed Walker, Luke Fortner, etc.), the Panthers also re-signed a number of their own veterans, including punter Sam Martin, guard Brady Christensen, safety Nick Scott, tight end James Mitchell, wide receiver David Moore, cornerback Akayleb Evans and edge rusher Trevis Gipson.
• Carolina experienced a rash of injuries near the start of the regular season. Already without their usual starting left tackle in Ikem Ekwonu, who was hurt in the playoffs last season, the Panthers lost their right tackle, too, when Taylor Moton developed a blood clot issue. Both started the season on injured reserve, but Moton returned to practice last week and could be activated soon. The same is true for defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, who was found to have a herniated disc in July and was also put on injured reserve at the start of the season. Rookie wide receiver Chris Brazzell, a third-round pick, will not be back, as he was placed on season-ending injured reserve early in training camp due to a left knee injury. More recently, the team's starting cornerback duo of Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson both were put on injured reserve after the Panthers' third game of the season and will not be eligible to return in time for the Week Seven contest against Tampa Bay.

INJURY REPORT

Key:

DNP: Did not participate in practice

LP: Limited participation in practice

FP: Full participation in practice

NL: Not listed

Buccaneers:

• P Riley Dixon (illness) – WEDS: FP
• WR Emeka Egbuka (concussion/foot) – WEDS: DNP
• T Luke Goedeke (calf) – WEDS: DNP
• RB Bucky Irving (illness) – WEDS: DNP
• DT Calijah Kancey (illness) – WEDS: LP
• G Cody Mauch (wrist) – WEDS: FP
• QB Baker Mayfield (right thumb) – WEDS: FP
• CB Zyon McCollum (illness) – WEDS: DNP
• K Chase McLaughlin (illness) – WEDS: FP
• CB Benjamin Morrison (quad) – WEDS: FP
• LB Christian Rozeboom (finger) – WEDS: DNP
• WR David Sills* (hamstring) – WEDS: FP
• LB Josiah Trotter (shoulder) – WEDS: FP
• RB Sean Tucker (quad) – WEDS: FP
• NT Vita Vea (rest) – WEDS: LP
• S Antoine Winfield Jr. (rib) – WEDS: LP

(* In 21-day window to return from injured reserve.)

Panthers:

• RB A.J. Dillon (ankle) – WEDS: FP
• T Monroe Freeling (knee) – WEDS: FP
• RB Chuba Hubbard (rest) – WEDS: DNP
• OLB Thomas Incoom (calf) – WEDS: DNP
• LB Devin Lloyd (rest) – WEDS: DNP
• LB Bam Martin-Scott* (hamstring) – WEDS: FP
• T Taylor Moton (rest) – WEDS: DNP
• OLB Jaelan Phillips (hamstring) – WEDS: DNP
• TE Darren Waller (rest) – WEDS: DNP
• QB Bryce Young (knee) – WEDS: FP

(* In 21-day window to return from injured reserve.)

BUCCANEERS' UNIFORM COMBINATION

The Buccaneers will wear white jerseys and pewter pants at Carolina in Week Seven.

WEATHER FORECAST

Sunny, high of 70, low of 44, 59% humidity, 0% chance of rain, winds out of the NNE at 10 mph.

GAME REFEREE

Head referee: Carl Cheffers (27th season, 19th as referee)

BETTING LINE

• Favorite: Panthers (-3.5)
• Over/Under: 44.5

INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS

Buccaneers-

Points Scored: K Chase McLauglin, 53

Touchdowns: WR Emeka Egbuka/RB Bucky Irving, 3

Passing Yards: QB Baker Mayfield, 615

Passer Rating: QB Baker Mayfield, 80.0

Rushing Yards: RB Bucky Irving, 452

Receptions: WR Emeka Egbuka, 28

Receiving Yards: WR Emeka Egbuka, 240

Interceptions: DL A'Shawn Robinson, 2

Sacks: OLB David Walker, 4.0

Tackles: LB Josiah Trotter, 48

Panthers-

Points Scored: K Ryan Fitzgerald, 44

Touchdowns: RB Chuba Hubbard, 6

Passing Yards: QB Bryce Young, 1,549

Passer Rating: QB Bryce Young, 98.5

Rushing Yards: RB Chuba Hubbard, 426

Receptions: WR Tetairoa McMillan, 32

Receiving Yards: WR Tetairoa McMillan, 471

Interceptions: LB Devin Lloyd, 2

Sacks: OLB Princely Umanmielen, 3.0

Tackles: LB Devin Lloyd, 35

TEAM STAT RANKINGS

Buccaneers-

Scoring Offense: 25th (19.8 ppg)

Total Offense: 24th (292.7 ypg)

Rushing Offense: 8th (127.8 ypg)

Passing Offense: 30th (164.8 ypg)

First Downs Per Game: 23rd (17.8)

Third-Down Pct.: 23rd (36.8%)

Sacks Per Pass Attempt Allowed: 30th (11.34%)

Red Zone TD Pct.: 28th (47.4%)

Scoring Defense: 17th (23.0 ppg)

Total Defense: 4th (299.5 ypg)

Rushing Defense: 2nd (75.5 ypg)

Passing Defense: 20th (224.0 ypg)

First Downs Allowed Per Game: 5th (17.8)

Third-Down Pct. Allowed: 8th (33.8%)

Sacks Per Pass Attempt: 24th (5.12%)

Red Zone TD Pct. Allowed: t-12th (52.9%)

Turnover Margin: t-22nd (-3)

Panthers-

Scoring Offense: 4th (29.2 ppg)

Total Offense: 2nd (404.4 ypg)

Rushing Offense: 17th (108.8 ypg)

Passing Offense: 1st (295.6 ypg)

First Downs Per Game: 3rd (23.8)

Third-Down Pct.: 17th (38.8%)

Sacks Per Pass Attempt Allowed: 15th (5.94%)

Red Zone TD Pct.: t-9th (66.7)

Scoring Defense: 21st (24.6 ppg)

Total Defense: 25th (354.2 ypg)

Rushing Defense: 27th (132.2 ypg)

Passing Defense: 19th (220.0 ypg)

First Downs Allowed Per Game: 20th (20.2)

Third-Down Pct. Allowed: 22nd (42.0%)

Sacks Per Pass Attempt: 21st (5.82%)

Red Zone TD Pct. Allowed: 29th (76.9%)

Turnover Margin: t-9th (+3)

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

• OLB David Walker recorded his first career two-sack game in Week Six against Pittsburgh. If he duplicates that feat in Charlotte on Sunday he will be the first Buccaneers since Jason Pierre-Paul to have two consecutive multi-sack games. Paul did so on Dec. 21 and Dec. 29 of 2019.
• Linebacker Josiah Trotter has a team-leading 48 tackles in his five games played so far (he missed Week Three against Minnesota due to a shoulder injury). If he gets two more stops against the Panthers he would set a new Bucs record for the most tackles by a player in his first five games, surpassing Lavonte David (49) in 2012.
• Wide receiver Chris Godwin has 7,934 yards from scrimmage in his career. With 66 more he will join Mike Evans (13,062) and James Wilder (9,449) as the only players in franchise history to reach 8,000 yards from scrimmage.
• DL A'Shawn Robinson has a team leading two interceptions through his first six games as a Buccaneer. If he picks off another pass this season he will set the record for most interceptions by a defensive lineman in a single season in franchise history. Also, Robinson will be facing his former team on Sunday and the game will be the 150th he has played in his career.

NOTABLY QUOTABLE

• Head Coach Todd Bowles on DL Calijah Kancey's production this season: "He's been used the right way, and he's actually getting off the ball. I mean, he's in the backfield…we've just got to turn some of those into sacks. Sometimes the ball is out, sometimes he's back there and somebody else makes a play. But, you know, we're pretty good across the board the way all those guys are playing right now. He's just got to get his opportunities, and they're going to come because he's playing hard. We'll probably do some things to try to free him up a little bit more and get him going that way as well."
• Defensive back Keionte Scott on the importance of games against division opponents: "Yeah, definitely, you can feel the intensity around the building. Coaches are preaching it, older vets are preaching it, so it's just something as a rookie you have to live up to. These games are very important so we want to take care of it."
• Cornerback Zyon McCollum on his growing confidence and high level of play this season: "Early in my career, probably, would have been a little bit less confident in myself I guess, I had not seen a lot. Now, at this point in my career, I am extremely confident in my ability and I know who I am and I know what works for me and what does not work for me. So, I knew that I was going to be tested early on and often early in the season, circling all those games in the schedule and the talent that they have, but kind of just not making too big a deal out of it was the biggest thing for me."
• Outside linebacker David Walker on getting two sacks against Pittsburgh and  the team getting five overall: "Coach [Bowles] is putting us in the right position and I'm just trying to win my one-on-ones whenever I get in. And the team, as a D-Line, we just work together. We call it four equals one and that's what's been giving us all success."
• Bowles previously working with Panthers Offensive Coordinator Brad Idzik in Tampa: "[He is] a great guy on and off the field, very smart, learns all the time, and you can see him getting his chance and taking advantage of it."