The Good, Bad and Ugly From Buccaneers' 43-13 Victory Over Panthers

Through the first six weeks of the NFL season, we've had a lot of bad and ugly topics to discuss as it relates to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Week 7 was a different story, though, as the Buccaneers looked like the team that most people envisioned coming into the season. On Sunday, the Bucs completely dominated the Carolina Panthers in every facet of the game en route to a 43-13 victory on the road against the top team in the NFC South.

In a game the Buccaneers absolutely had to have, they finally executed with consistency and performed up to expectations.

Let's take a closer look at the good, the bad, and the ugly that we saw from the Buccaneers in their most impressive win of the season so far.

Good

Zyon McCollum and Yaya Diaby — Oct 25, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum (27) reacts with linebacker YaYa Diaby (0) after recovering a blocked field goal during the first half against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bucky Irving

From the very start of the game, Bucky Irving established himself as the most dynamic offensive player on the field. Irving was patient, elusive, and explosive in space while rushing for 106 yards and 2 TD's on 24 carries. Irving's unique ability to manipulate defenders by playing cat-and-mouse behind his blockers, and then turning on the jets at the exact right moment to creative chunk plays was on full display in this game.

Offensive Line

It wasn't just Bucky Irving, as both Sean Tucker and Kenneth Gainwell had plenty of success in their opportunities as well. The one constant? The offensive line. The entire unit was exceptional in this game, paving lanes in the run game while dominating the Panthers' defensive line.

The interior of Bredeson, Barton and Mauch really came to play in this contest, and they were clearly on the same page with whatever blocking scheme was being executed on a particular run.

Speaking of stepping up, even without Luke Goedeke in the lineup, Ben Chukwuma showed up in a big way by holding down the right side of the line, and his development as a quality reserve tackle so early in his career is a major positive for this team moving forward.

Bucs OL with one of the great first halves you’ll ever see. Obliterated Carolina on the ground and bought Baker a lot of time to make a couple out of structure plays
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) October 25, 2026

Zac Robinson

The Buccaneers' new offensive coordinator has taken plenty of heat, and rightfully so, for the team's poor offensive performance so far this year. That being said, it's important to give credit where credit is due, and Robinson deserves his flowers for sticking with what worked in Carolina.

It didn't take long for the Buccaneers' offense to assert their dominance in the run game, and Robinson had no problem sticking with that approach for the rest of the game as the Buccaneers rushed for 49 times for a total of 258 yards on the ground, averaging over 5 yards per carry.

Not only did this allow the Bucs to control the clock and protect their lead, but it also ensured that Mayfield — nursing a recently dislocated thumb on his throwing hand — could, for the most part, stay out of harm's way.

Splash Plays

Todd Bowles' defense looked like one of the NFL's best on this day. The vision Bowles has for his defense is a pressure applying group of front, backed up by a flock of ball hawks in the secondary, and that's exactly what we saw today, even without Antoine Winfield in the lineup.

Both Tykee Smith and Zyon McCollum came away with interceptions on the back end. Meanwhile, Calijah Kancey provided a scopp and score, which helped give the Buccaneers even more breathing room in the first half.

Sunday's game marks the first time that Tampa Bay's defense has amassed 5.0+ sacks and four-or-more takeaways in a single game since 10/26/25 at New Orleans.
— Buccaneers Communications (@BuccaneersComms) October 25, 2026

Special Teams

Speaking of splash plays, the Bucs' gained some serious advantages in the special teams department today, with the punt coverage group recovering a fumble deep in Panthers' territory early in the game. Shortly thereafter, Tykee Smith blocked an extra point attempt, which McCollum then recovered and returned the length of the field for a rare 2-point addition to the scoreboard.

BLOCKED THE EXTRA POINT & TO THE HOUSE FOR ✌️

📺: #TBvsCAR on FOX pic.twitter.com/G5ITN0VTcA
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 25, 2026

Pass Rush

The Buccaneers defensive line had Bryce Young under serious duress for a good chunk of this game. When it was all said and done, the Bucs got home for 5 sacks on the day, with 3 of those coming from Yaya Diaby, who had a much needed breakout game in the sack department.

Al Quadin-Muhammad and Vita Vea supplied the other two QB sacks for the Bucs, and Kancey nearly got another one. The Buccaneers' offseason vision of a impactful committee of versatile defensive linemen applying pressure consistently materialized in this game, and would provide a big boost to the team if it continues in the weeks to come.

Bad

Oct 25, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) passes against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Aerial Attack

This is downright unfair considering the Bucs put up 43 points in a game where Mayfield was playing with a recently dislocated thumb, but if I have to nitpick, it would point to the lack of production through the air. Mayfield was 7/11 for 64 yards passing in this game, and although the team was wise to stick with the ground game, they'll need to develop a more balanced attack moving forward, which will require the passing game to wake up at some point.

Panthers really getting annihilated by a team that can barely throw a forward pass. NFC South is incredible
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) October 25, 2026

Ugly

Oct 25, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) runs against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Panthers Tackling Fundamentals

The trio of Irving, Gainwell and Sean Tucker made the Panthers' defenders at every level look downright silly in this game. As much as those Bucs' RB's ran with determination and elusiveness in this game, any time a team rushes for 250+ yards against an NFL defense, there's a problem.

Whether it was along the defensive line, the second level, or the secondary, Panthers' defenders simply could not bring down Buccaneer ball-carriers, and both the stats and tape will tell the same story.

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