5 keys to a Carolina Panthers victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Carolina Panthers need to win tomorrow. They can still make the playoffs with a loss, but limping in at 8-9 and coming off a loss is not ideal. They need to finish strong, take care of business, and finish with a winning record for the first time since 2017. Here's how.

Manage pressure

Dec 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) passes the ball as Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Yaya Diaby (0) and defensive end Elijah Roberts (95) pressure in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Buccaneers blitz a lot, and they blitzed fairly often against the Panthers in Week 16. They will likely turn up the pressure again, and it's on the Panthers to be able to respond and manage that when it inevitably happens.

There are three things they can do to mitigate that. Find the one-on-one opportunities in the secondary for Tetairoa McMillan is first and foremost. Second is the line holding up to give Young a moment to scan the field.

And finally, Young can scramble out when the pressure's too hot, which he is really good at. If he can do that, he might find wide-open lanes to run or easy opportunities to take shots downfield with single coverage.

Run the ball

At times, the Panthers have been able to rely more on their passing game. The Atlanta Falcons overtime win, the Los Angeles Rams upset, and the first Buccaneers win come to mind, as Young did a lot those games.

But the passing game works better when the offense isn't one-dimensional. It was the first time the Panthers faced the Bucs. Rico Dowdle had 29 rushing yards. That can't happen again. They have to get back to their strength.

This will cut down the turnover risk, grind out an ailing and struggling defense, and keep Carolina's defense fresh.

Win the turnover battle

The Panthers play better when Bryce Young doesn't turn the ball over. That's typically true of any team and their quarterback, but the Panthers are usually not explosive enough to overcome those lost possessions.

This is two-fold, though. The defense needs to create some turnovers as well. When Baker Mayfield throws a pick this season, the Bucs lose. Literally every single time. The formula was good last time: stuff the run and force a banged up and struggling Mayfield to beat them.

He couldn't, and his last-minute interception sealed it for the Panthers. It's hard to count on it, but the Panthers must force turnovers and protect the football on offense.

Utilize field position

The Buccaneers are pretty bad at kick coverage, so lately, they've been booting it out of the end zone for touchbacks. If that continues, the Panthers will get plenty of "good" field position by starting at the 35 off of kicks.

The Panthers are usually pretty good at pinning the opponent deep on kickoffs, though they really struggled against the Seahawks. They need to continue doing that, because in a tight game, field position will matter a whole lot.

Be creative on offense

The game plan is probably going to be to run the ball and throw when necessary. That's the bread and butter of this 2025 Panthers team, and it's unlikely they'll abandon it in the most important game of the year.

However, it needs to be more creative. We can't run HB Dive on first and second down and set up an obvious passing down. There needs to be much more creativity in the run game so that the passing game, namely the play-action pass, opens up.

That hasn't been Dave Canales' strength this year. He's not terribly creative, and he is often stubborn in his game plan. He's going to have to put in a great effort to get a win.

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