It was a Sunday afternoon the Carolina Panthers would like to forget, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated in all three phases of the game and rolled to a 43-13 victory at Bank of America Stadium.
Carolina entered the NFC South matchup looking to continue its strong start to the season, but turnovers and an inability to slow down Tampa Bay’s running game put the Panthers in a hole they could never escape. The loss dropped Carolina to 3-3, while Tampa Bay improved to 2-5 and picked up its first division victory of the season.
The Buccaneers established the run from the opening drive and finished the afternoon with 258 rushing yards on 49 attempts. Bucky Irving led the way with 106 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries, while Kenny Gainwell added 88 yards. Sean Tucker put an exclamation point on the performance with a 46-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield returned to action and didn’t have to do much through the air. Mayfield completed 7 of 11 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown as the Buccaneers relied heavily on their rushing attack.
For Carolina, the biggest problem was turnovers. The Panthers turned the football over four times overall, including two Bryce Young interceptions, a strip-sack that Calijah Kancey returned 32 yards for a Tampa Bay touchdown, and a muffed punt. Tampa Bay turned Carolina’s mistakes into points and took complete control of the game before halftime.
Young finished the afternoon 14-of-27 for 163 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and was sacked five times. One of Carolina’s few first-half highlights came when Young connected with veteran tight end Darren Waller for a 50-yard touchdown. Even that celebration was short-lived, as Tampa Bay blocked the extra point and Zyon McCollum returned it for two points.
The Buccaneers carried a commanding 33-6 lead into halftime and never allowed Carolina to seriously threaten in the second half. Yaya Diaby led Tampa Bay’s pass rush with three sacks as the Buccaneers kept constant pressure on Young.
Carolina added a fourth-quarter touchdown when Anthony Tyus III scored on a 12-yard run, the first touchdown of his NFL career, but by that point the outcome had long been decided.
The Panthers now have to put the disappointing division loss behind them quickly. Carolina has a short week ahead and will travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers Thursday night, looking to bounce back and get above the .500 mark once again.
