Carolina Panthers studs & duds from a huge win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It was far from pretty, but the Carolina Panthers have beaten the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home, 23-20. The victory puts them firmly in place in the NFC South with two games left to play. Bryce Young came through with a clutch performance when they needed it most, and Carolina's defense got just enough stops to pull it off.

Here are our studs and duds for the Panthers from their Week 16 win.

Stud: OLB Nic Scourton

Carolina's second-round pick had flashed here and there this season, but this was his true breakout game. Scourton was a demon on the field for the Panthers defense, making stops and disruptive Tampa's offense on a peak Reggie White kind of level. Scourton ended the game with four tackles. However, he made a far greater impact than that might suggest.

Stud: DT Derrick Brown

The Panthers' most reliable superstar came through again, helping to hold the Buccaneers' rushing attack in check. Derrick Brown made five tackles and a sack and was instrumental in containing Bucky Irving to just 71 yards on 19 carries (3.7 yards per attempt).

Stud: S Tre'Von Moehrig

The third and last reliable piece for Ejiro Evero' defense this year is safety Tre'von Moehrig, who also put in a quality performance. Moehrig made some tone-setting stops early in the game and wound up finishing with seven tackles.

Dud: Panthers pass rush

This may a long-dead horse, but it's worth beating again. Carolina's pass rush was weak once again most of the game, only getting to Baker Mayfield for two sacks all day, both in the fourth quarter. One came on an all-out blitz. Christian Rozeboom accounted for their only other QB hit of the afternoon.

Dud: HC Dave Canales

Carolina's ceiling is being kept artificially low thanks to poor game management and bad playcalling from head coach Dave Canales. While he's had strong games here and there too often there's been a lack of urgency and aggressiveness from the top, which keeps putting his players in bad positions. The Panthers were frankly lucky to pull this one out thanks to their key performers rising to the occasion.

Stud: QB Bryce Young

Despite the uninspired gameplan from Dave Canales, Bryce Young put together an excellent game, his best work coming when the play broke down. Young once again finished with under 200 passing yards, but he avoided any turnovers, threw two touchdown passes and posted a 102.5 passer rating. Young also made a few plays with his legs, adding 20 yards on four scrambles.

Dud: G Austin Corbett

The Panthers are sorely missing star right guard Robert Hunt, who went down early in the year with a biceps injury that put him on IR. Since they've tried several different linemen at his spot, none of whom have worked out. Today Austin Corbett was out of sync, stepping on Bryce Young's injured right ankle, drawing a false start penalty and generally failing against Tampa's tough interior.

Stud: WR Tetairoa McMillan

As usual, the only Carolina pass-catcher that Bryce Young could rely on was rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. While his catch rate remains problematic he's also vastly more dynamic than any other playmaker the Panthers have on the roster. McMillan caught six of 10 targets, totaling a team-high 73 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Dud: WR Xavier Legette

Another drop on a perfectly-thrown ball from Bryce Young. Another reception wasted by Xavier Legette stepping out of bounds thanks to his complete lack of awareness. It's normal for some NFL players to struggle their first season or two as a pro, but when they keep making the same mistakes over and over it's not a good sign for their future. XL is now very far down the road to Bust City.

- Enjoy more free Panthers coverage with Carolina Panthers on SI -

Major takeaways from the Panthers’ stunning home win over Bucs

Carolina Panthers predicted to completely waste 2026 first-round pick

Dave Canales on what he appreciates most about Bryce Young’s game