Buccaneers Aim to Secure NFC South Lead in Matchup Against Panthers

Tampa Bay seeks a critical win to maintain playoff hopes as Carolina looks for redemption in divisional clash.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) face the Carolina Panthers (4-11) on Sunday with a share of the NFC South lead on the line, as Atlanta holds the tiebreaker over Tampa Bay in the division race.
Baker Mayfield, who has revitalized his career with Tampa Bay, has led the Buccaneers to three close victories against his former team, the Panthers, since joining in 2023.
The Panthers' struggling run defense, ranked last in the NFL, will face Tampa Bay rookie RB Bucky Irving, who ran for a career-high 152 yards in their last matchup and leads all rookies in rushing yards and touchdowns this season.
Carolina RB Chuba Hubbard, coming off a strong performance against Arizona, seeks redemption after a costly overtime fumble in the last meeting with Tampa Bay.
Panthers QB Bryce Young has shown improvement in recent weeks, including a career-high 68 rushing yards last week, as he works to solidify his role as the team's quarterback of the future.