The Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in a 43-13 win, marking their 11th victory in their last 13 matchups with their division rivals from Charlotte. The win also evened up the all-time series between the two teams at 26-26. The 30-point margin of victory was the 10th largest in franchise history and the Buccaneers largest against any team since a 48-14 home win on December 29, 2024 against…the Carolina Panthers. It was Tampa Bay's third-best margin of victory in a road game in team annals.

Largest Margin of Victory, Road Games, Buccaneers History

1. 40: 47-7 at Detroit, 12/26/20

2. 35: 35-0 at Cincinnati, 12/27/98

3. 30: 43-13 at Carolina, 10/25/26

4t. 28: 45-17 at Philadelphia, 11/22/15

4t. 28: 35-7 at Cincinnati, 9/29/02

Tampa Bay took a 33-6 lead into halftime on Sunday, marking the third most points the team had ever scored in a first half. The only greater totals were 35 against Chicago on Oct. 24, 2021 and 34 at Detroit on Dec. 26, 2020.

The Buccaneers rolled over the Panthers despite quarterback Baker Mayfield having to throw only 11 passes against the team that traded for and then waived him during the 2022 season. Mayfield completed seven of those 11 throws for 64 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a 109.7 passer rating. That is the third lowest total of passes ever thrown in a victory by the Buccaneers and the lowest in 46 years.

Fewest Pass Attempts in a Victory, Buccaneers History

1t. 10, vs. Green Bay in 21-3 win, 10/21/79

1t. 10, at New Orleans in 33-14 win, 12/11/77

3. 11, at Carolina in 43-13 win, 10/25/26

4. 12, vs. St. Louis in 17-7 win, 12/18/77

5t. 13, at Detroit in 23-20 win, 11/13/88

5t. 13, vs. Kansas City in 3-0 win, 12/16/77

The Buccaneers threw just 11 passes because their run game was dominant throughout the afternoon, starting with a 70-yard opening drive that included 10 carries by running back Bucky Irving for 51 yards. By game's end, the Bucs had rolled up 258 yards on 49 carries, marking the fourth-most rushing yards and tied for the third-most runs in a game in team history. It was the 14th time the Bucs have run the ball 46 or more times in a game, and they are 14-0 in those contests.

Most Rushing Attempts, Single Game, Buccaneers History

1. 62, vs. Kansas City, 12/16/79

2. 51, at Cincinnati, 12/27/98

3t. 49, at Carolina, 10/25/26

3t. 49, vs. Oakland, 11/10/96

3t. 49, vs. New York Giants, 11/2/80

Most Rushing Yards, Single Game, Buccaneers History

1. 283, at Philadelphia, 11/22/15

2. 278, at Oakland, 11/14/12

3. 277, at New Orleans, 10/13/24

4. 258, at Carolina, 10/25/26

5. 250, vs. Dallas, 12/3/00

Irving posted his second 100-yard rushing game, with 106 yards and two touchdowns on 24 totes. It was his fifth career 100-yard game and his first with multiple rushing touchdowns. The performance continued his outsized success against the Panthers in his young career. Irving has now faced Carolina five times and 527 rushing yards, 654 yards from scrimmage, 4.62 yards per carry, three touchdowns and 33 rushing first downs.

With his 110 yards from scrimmage, Irving increased his career total to 3,015, becoming the 22nd player and 12th running back in team history to eclipse the 3,000-yard mark. He got to that milestone on a total of 595 touches; since Irving entered the league as a fourth-round draft pick in 2024, only he and San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey have created 3,000-plus yards from scrimmage on fewer than 600 touches.

Irving produced his 110 yards in three quarters of play, as he was rested in the fourth period with the game well in hand. Running backs Kenny Gainwell and Sean Tucker finished up the ground-game dominance, with Gainwell gaining 88 yards on 14 carries and Tucker adding 52 yards on seven handoffs. That marked Gainwell's best outing so far since joining the Buccaneers in free agency this past offseason, and it was his third-most rushing yards in any game in his career. Tucker's contributions included a 46-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career and his second score of the season.

Tucker has now scored 13 touchdowns on 185 touches since joining the Buccaneers in 2023. He is the first running back in team history to surpass 10 touchdowns scored on fewer than 200 touches.

The Bucs' 258 outburst on the ground Sunday came just two weeks after the team piled up 241 rushing yards in a win at Dallas. Tampa Bay now ranks third in the NFL in rushing yards per game and yards per carry, with Week Seven's Monday Night Football game still to be played.

Most Rushing Yards Per Game, NFL Teams, 2026

1. Bears: 154.3

2. Bills: 148.8

3. Buccaneers: 146.4

4. Ravens: 141.7

5. Chiefs: 141.5

Most Yards Per Carry, NFL Teams, 2026

1. Chiefs: 5.27

2. Bills: 5.07

3. Buccaneers: 4.88

4. Falcons: 4.75

5. Rams: 4.70

After allowing the Panthers to run for 88 yards on 18 carries, the Buccaneers are also second in the NFL in rushing defense, giving up 77.3 yards per game, while also ranking fifth with 3.58 yards per carry. Tampa Bay and Chicago are the only two teams currently ranked in the top five in both rushing offense and rushing defense.

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers' pass defense took on Bryce Young, who entered the game with a league-best 305.8 passing yards per game and Carolina's top-ranked passing attack and held Young to 14 completions in 27 attempts for 163 yards. Young threw one touchdown in the game but was intercepted twice, lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and was sacked five times. After also dropping Pittsburgh's Aaron Rodgers five times in Week Six, this marks the first time Tampa Bay's defense has had two consecutive games with five or more sacks since September 20 and 27 in the 2020 Super Bowl season. If the Buccaneers are able to get five more in Week Eight against Atlanta it would tie the team record for consecutive five-sack games, set in the first three weeks of the 2000 season.

Outside linebacker Yaya Diaby led the five-sack attack with his first career three-sack game. It was the first three-sack game by a Buccaneer since Devin White pulled off the feat at Atlanta on Dec. 20, 2020, and the 25th three-sack game overall in franchise history.

The Bucs other two sacks were turned in by outside linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad and nose tackle Vita Vea. Muhammad's second sack of the season caused a fumble by Young that was recovered on the run by defensive lineman Calijah Kancey and returned 32 yards for a touchdown. It was the first touchdown of Kancey's career and the first fumble-return score by a Buccaneer since Antoine Winfield Jr. had a 58-yard scoop-and-score at New Orleans on oct. 13, 2024. Vea's sack was the 36th of his career and he ranks eighth in team history in that category, needing four more to pass David Logan for seventh place.

Tampa Bay's two interceptions were secured by cornerback Zyon McCollum and safety Tykee Smith. McCollum's pick and 18-yard return to the Panthers' 32 late in the first half set up Mayfield's 14-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tez Johnson. Smith's interception in the third quarter led to a 44-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin. The Buccaneers scored 20 points off turnovers in the win, their most in any game this season.

McCollum and Smith also combined to make a bit of Buccaneers history on Sunday. After Carolina scored on Darren Waller's 50-yard catch in the second quarter, Smith blocked the extra point attempt by Ryan Fitzgerald and McCollum caught the deflection and raced all the way to the opposite end zone for what was ruled a defensive two-point conversion. That was the first defensive two-point conversion in Buccaneers history, per StatsPerform.

Cornerback Jacob Parrish also broke up a pair of passes, giving him 11 on the season. Prior to Monday Night Football, that is the highest total of passes defensed in the NFL through Week Seven.

Most Passes Defensed, NFL, 2026

1. Jacob Parrish, Buccaneers: 11

2. Deonte Banks, Giants: 10

3t. Quentin Lake, Rams: 9

3t. Jaylen Watson, Rams: 9

6t. Four tied with: 8

And finally, a random but seriously entertaining note: According to StatsPerform, the Buccaneers are only the second team in league history to record all of these things in a single quarter of play: a passing touchdown, a rushing touchdown, a field goal, a defensive touchdown and a defensive two-point conversion. The first team to do it was the New York Jets against Detroit in the team's 2018 season opener, and the head coach of that team was none other than Todd Bowles.