The Buccaneers fell to the Panthers, 23-20 as Lathan Ransom intercepted Baker Mayfield at the Carolina 30-yard line, halting the visiting team's comeback bid. The Panthers marched down the field on their opening drive, courtesy of a 25-yard gain by Jimmy Horn Jr. on a jet sweep and a 13-yard gain by Rico Dowdle around the right guard. Chris Braswell Jr. tackled Chuba Hubbard on third down for a loss of three to force the Ryan Fitzgerald 27-yard field goal. The Bucs answered with a 10-play, 53-yard scoring drive that culminated in a one-yard touchdown by Mike Evans on the fade. A 13-yard gain off an in-breaker for Evans, a 10-yard pickup by Jalen McMillan and a 12-yard run by Bucky Irving up the middle set up the score, giving the Bucs a 7-3 lead.
The Bucs' defense forced a punt on the Panthers' ensuing drive and Tampa Bay's subsequent drive culminated in a Chase McLaughlin 23-yard field goal. His 48-yarder was nullified by a Panthers' unnecessary roughness penalty that put the Bucs' offense back on the field. After Sean Tucker was tackled for a loss of three on third down, the Bucs were forced to settle for a field goal.
Both teams then traded punts before the Bucs' defense got a stop. Back-to-back sticky coverage plays by Jacob Parrish and Benjamin Morrison forcing incompletions led to Fitzgerald's 41-yard field goal. Just before the half, the Panthers scored on a 22-yard Tetairoa McMillan touchdown. He got outside leverage and worked over the top of the Bucs' defender and Bryce Young placed the ball out in front to give Carolina a 13-10 lead.
Out of halftime, the Bucs marched down the field and capped off the 14-play, 66-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run by Sean Tucker. He quickly bounced outside, giving Tampa Bay a 17-13 advantage. The Panthers responded with a touchdown of their own. On third down in the red zone, Young scrambled to elude pressure and found Ja'Tavion Sanders in the end zone for a six-yard score, putting the Panthers in the driver's seat. Following a third-down sack of Mayfield on the Bucs' ensuing drive by Nic Scourton, McLaughlin drilled a 50-yard field goal to tie the game at 20. With just over two minutes left in regulation, Fitzgerald made a 48-yard field goal to give the Panthers a 23-20 lead.
Mayfield then scrambled for a pickup of 26 yards and after connections with Evans and Otton over the middle of the field, an interception by Lathan Ransom sealed the loss for Tampa Bay.
TOP PERFORMERS 🏈
Buccaneers:
- Passing: QB Baker Mayfield: 18/26 for 145 yards - 1 TD & 1 INT
- Rushing: RB Bucky Irving: 19 rushes for 71 yards
- Receiving: WR Mike Evans: 5 catches for 31 yards - 1 TD
- Defense: LB SirVocea Dennis: 8 total tackles - 1.0 sack
Panthers:
- Passing: QB Bryce Young: 21/32 for 191 yards - 2 TDs
- Rushing: RB Rico Dowdle: 9 rushes for 29 yards
- Receiving: WR Tetairoa McMillan: 6 catches for 73 yards - 1 TD
- Defense: LB Christian Rozeboom: 10 total tackles - 1.0 sack
