The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their final game of the 2025 season on Saturday, 16-14 over the Carolina Panthers, though in the end it wasn't enough to surpass the Panthers for the NFC South championship. As such, the Buccaneers streaks of four straight division titles and five straight playoff appearances – both the longest such runs in franchise history – came to an end.
So too, perhaps, did the illustrious career of linebacker Lavonte David, though he will surely take some time to ponder whether he wants to come back for a 15th season, just as he has done after the last few seasons. If David does choose to hang up the cleats, his 215th and final regular season game was summed up perfectly by Head Coach Todd Bowles, who said David "went out in true Lavonte fashion."
In this case, that meant a team-leading six tackles and a fumble recovery against the Panthers. It was the 21st fumble recovery of David's career, the most in Buccaneers franchise history and the second most among all NFL players since 1991. Since he also has 14 career interceptions, that became the 35th overall takeaway on his ledger, and that introduced him into a very elite group. Since at least 1982, David is one of just three NFL players with 40-plus sacks and 35-plus takeaways, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher. In a way, this represented a passing of the torch, as both Lewis and Urlacher finished their playing careers in 2012, David's first season in the league.
NFL Players with 40-Plus Sacks and 35-Plus Takeaways (since 1991)
| Player | Team(s) | Total Seasons | Sacks | Takeaways |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Lewis | Ravens | 17 (1996-2012) | 41.5 | 51 |
| Brian Urlacher | Bears | 13 (2000-12) | 41.5 | 38 |
| Lavonte David | Buccaneers | 14 (2012-25) | 42.5 | 35 |
David's six tackles in the game proved to be a fitting number. It gave him a team-high 114 stops on the season and pushed his career total to 1,714, as compiled by StatsPass. Though there were differing methods of compiling statistics during the respective careers of David and Hall of Fame Buccaneer Derrick Brooks which makes it a complicated matter to compare their career tackle totals, StatsPass data has David tying Brooks' total exactly. By that measure, Brooks and David are now tied for the all-time franchise lead and tied for sixth in NFL history in total tackles.
Most Career Tackles, NFL History (as compiled by StatsPass)
| Player | Team(s) | Total Season | Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Lewis | Ravens | 17 (1996-2012) | 2,061 |
| London Fletcher | Rams/Bills/Redskins | 16 (1998-2013) | 2,040 |
| Bobby Wagner | Seahawks/Rams/Commanders | 14 (2012-25) | 1,998 |
| Junior Seau | Chargers/Dolphins/Patriots | 20 (1990-2008) | 1,763 |
| Zach Thomas | Dolphins/Cowboys | 13 (1996-2008) | 1,773 |
| Derrick Brooks | Buccaneers | 14 (1995-2008) | 1,714 |
| Lavonte David | Buccaneers | 14 (2012-25) | 1,714 |
| Demario Davis | Jets/Browns/Saints | 14 (2012-25) | 1,520 |
| Donnie Edwards | Chiefs/Chargers | 13 (1996-2008) | 1,500 |
| Keith Brooking | Falcons/Cowboys/Broncos | 15 (1998-2012) | 1,441 |
David's 21 recoveries of opponent's fumbles leads all active players, and by a healthy margin.
Most Career Opponent Fumble Recoveries, Active NFL Players
1. Lavonte David, Buccaneers: 21
2. T.J. Watt, Steelers: 14
3t. Calais Campbell, Cardinals: 13
3t. Khalil Mack, Chargers: 13
5t. Cameron Jordan, Saints: 12
5t. Bobby Wagner, Commanders: 12
David's six tackles also helped the Buccaneers hold Carolina to just 19 rushing yards on 14 attempts, the fewest the team has allowed to an opponent in a single game since it allowed -1 rushing yards against the New England Patriots on October 3, 2001. The average of 1.36 yards per carry recorded by the Panthers was the 12th lowest the Buccaneers have ever allowed in a game. The Buccaneers' defense held the Carolina rushing attack to the second-lowest per-carry average of any team in a game this season, after the 1.25 allowed by Pittsburgh against Detroit in Week 16.
Tampa Bay's offense racked up 140 rushing yards on Saturday's wet track, for a rushing yardage differential in the game of plus-121, the team's best margin of the season. Running back Bucky Irving set a career single-game high with 26 carries, turning them into 85 yards. Despite missing seven games due to injuries this season, Irving still managed to lead the team with 588 rushing yards, just passing Rachaad White (572) on the final weekend.
Sean Tucker finished the season as the Buccaneers' leader in total touchdowns (eight) and rushing touchdowns (seven). He became the first player in franchise to score seven rushing touchdowns while getting fewer than 100 carries.
Most Rushing Touchdowns, Single Season, Fewer Than 100 Carries, Buccaneers History
1. Sean Tucker, 2025: 7 TDs, 86 carries
2t. Mike Alstott, 2005: 6 TDs, 34 carries
2t. Leonard Fournette, 2020: 6 TDs, 97 carries
2t. Jameis Winston, 2015: 6 TDs, 54 carries
5t. four tied with 5 TDs
Baker Mayfield completed 16 of his 22 attempts against Carolina for 203 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He finished the season with 3, 755 passing yards and 26 touchdown passes. He and Tom Brady are the only two quarterbacks in franchise history to have three separate seasons with 25-plus touchdown passes.
Mayfield also ran for 31 yards on four carries to finish the season with 382 rushing yards, just passing his previous career high of 378 set last year. Mayfield now owns two of the top three rushing seasons by a quarterback in franchise history.
Most Rushing Yards, Quarterback, Single Season, Buccaneers History
- Steve Young, 1986: 425
- Baker Mayfield, 2025: 382
- Baker Mayfield, 2024: 378
- Doug Williams, 1980: 370
- Josh Freeman, 2010: 364
Two of Mayfield's four scrambles against the Panthers occurred on third downs, one of which he converted for a first down. Mayfield proved to be one of the NFL's best quarterbacks at converting third downs with his legs in 2025.
Highest Third-Down Conversion Rate on Runs, NFL Quarterbacks, 2025
(minimum 10 attempts)
| Quarterback | Team | Att. | Conv. | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Herbert | Chargers | 28 | 21 | 75% |
| Baker Mayfield | Buccaneers | 29 | 21 | 72.4% |
| Trevor Lawrence | Jaguars | 28 | 20 | 71.4% |
| Jordan Love | Packers | 10 | 7 | 70% |
| Josh Allen | Bills | 39 | 27 | 69.2% |
Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka had a quiet end to his excellent rookie season, catching just one eight-yard pass against the Panthers. He still finished with the fourth most receiving yards by a rookie in franchise history.
Most Receiving Yards in a Season by a Rookie, Buccaneer History
- Michael Clayton, 2004: 1,193
- Mike Evans, 2014: 1,051
- Mike Williams, 2010: 964
- Emeka Egbuka, 2025: 938
- Lawrence Dawsey, 1991: 818
Tight end Cade Otton turned in his most prolific game of the season in the finale, leading the team with seven catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. It was his first scoring grab of the season and his highest yardage total in any game in 2025. Otton's 94-yard game increased his four-season total to 2,025 yards, which he compiled in a total of 63 yards, the most by any tight end in Buccaneers history in his first 63 outings. He is now the fifth tight end in team history to surpass 2,000 career receiving yards, following Jimmie Giles (4,300), Cameron Brate (2,857), Kellen Winslow Jr. (2,377) and Ron Hal (2,422).
The Buccaneers other 10 points in Saturday's game were the work of kicker Chase McLaughlin, who hit on three of his four field goal attempts and his one extra point try. While his final attempt from 38 yards was blocked, McLaughlin was good from 29, 36 and 48 yards. Those 10 points increased his career total with the Buccaneers to 392, which moved him past Ryan Succop (384) into eighth place on the team's all-time scoring list.
After the Panthers scored with 2:27 left on Saturday to make it a two-point game, the Buccaneer sealed the victory with a six-play 32-yard drive keyed by Mayfield's 20-yard rollout pass to Otton on third-and-four from the Tampa Bay 35. Carolina didn't get the ball back at its own three-yard line until there were 18 seconds left on the clock and the game ended on a fumble on a desperation pitch-around play.
The resulting 16-14 final marked the sixth straight game for the Buccaneers that was decided by four or fewer points, the longest such run of games in a single season in franchise history. Overall, the Buccaneers played nine games that were decided by three points or fewer in the 2025 season, their most in a single campaign in team annals. They were 6-3 in those contests.
