After six disappointing games and missed opportunities, the Buccaneers looked like a playoff contender, annihilating the Carolina Panthers 43-13. Tampa Bay played truly complementary football for the first time this season.
The defense's stalwart play culminated in a dominating performance, forcing four turnovers, including a fumble-return touchdown by defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. Even as Baker Mayfield returned from a thumb injury that cost him the last three games, the Bucs offense leaned hard on the run game, gaining 258 yards on 49 attempts.
The ugliness that plagued the Bucs for much of the season was largely absent. Instead, the Bucs made a statement: they are not out of the NFC South picture yet.
Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly
from the Bucs' Week 7 win over the Panthers:
The good: Tampa Bay's defense and run offense
The Bucs played a very old-school-style game against the Panthers, dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The defense led the way, forcing two Bryce Young interceptions and the sack-fumble touchdown. These turnovers led to 17 points, enough to win the game.
The defensive line looked as good as it has all season, sacking Young five times and pressuring him 19 times per PFF. Yaya Diaby led the team in what was easily his best game of the season, recording three sacks, his first of the season. Even without bringing Young to the ground, the defensive line was disruptive all game and kept Young from ever finding a rhythm.
Tampa Bay's defensive backfield complemented the line, locking down what has been one of the NFL's better pass offenses this season. Carolina's starting wide receiver, Tetairoa McMillan, managed just 40 yards. The Bucs secondary, even without Antoine Winfield Jr., made a case for being one of the NFL's best, adding five pass breakups to Tykee Smith and Zyon McCollum's interceptions.
On the other side of the ball, Carolina had no answers for Tampa Bay's run game. The Bucs' emphasis on gap runs opened massive holes for their running backs to exploit, and they added 137 yards after contact per PFF. All three of Tampa Bay's running backs played at a starting level. Bucky Irving looked like a viable bell cow back, taking 24 carries for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Kenneth Gainwell made a case for more snaps, leading the group with 6.3 yards per carry and 4.1 yards after contact per PFF. Sean Tucker had the Bucs' biggest run of the day with a 46-yard touchdown run to ice the game.
Tampa Bay's offensive line made the run supremacy possible. Favoring gap blocking over zone runs, the Bucs leaned into the line's strengths. They also allowed zero sacks, though that was largely due to the limited pass attempts, not the line's actual play. Nevertheless, they looked as confident as they have all season and as cohesive as they have been since 2024.
The bad: The need for a pass offense
Given how decisively the Bucs won, it's hard to say anything truly went poorly, but the pass offense's lack of contribution raises questions about Tampa Bay's immediate future. Baker Mayfield attempted just 11 passes against Carolina, completing just seven for 64 yards and a touchdown. While his recovery from a dislocated thumb and Emeka Egbuka's absence were no doubt the root of the pass game's limited opportunities, Tampa Bay may struggle to replicate the win without more help from Mayfield and the passing game.
The ugly: Where was this in the past six games?
The most frustrating thing about such a massive win is that the Bucs clearly have the talent to contend for the playoffs, but their miscues up to this week still have them at the bottom of the division with a 2-5 record. The defense has largely held up their end, allowing -0.077 EPA per play, fourth-best in the NFL and certainly on par with the -0.29 EPA per play they allowed the Panthers.
Meanwhile, the offense is 30th in EPA per play with -0.127. This is a far cry from the 0.21 EPA per play they had against the Panthers, but one stat in particular may explain this differential. The Bucs committed no turnovers against Carolina after committing 11 coming into this week. A more disciplined offense could get the Bucs back on track for the playoffs, especially if they follow the blueprint they used to beat the Panthers.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: The good, the bad and the ugly from Bucs' Week 7 win over the Panthers
