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Super Bowl champion reveals why Panthers might have leg up vs. Bucs

The Panthers and Buccaneers battle for the NFC South title on Saturday in Tampa. The outcome could lie in Carolina’s ability to come up with some takeaways.
Russell Baxter|
Dec 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom (56) tackles Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Dec 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom (56) tackles Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

Three days away from the start of the final weekend of the 2025 NFL regular season. It begins at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday afternoon, when the Carolina Panthers look to knock off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the second time in three weeks. A victory by Dave Canales’s team gives the franchise an NFC South title for the first time since 2015, and puts the club in the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Jason McCourty spent 13 NFL seasons with four different franchises. He was a member of the New England Patriots Super Bowl LIII title team in 2018. During his career, he picked off a total 18 passes, two returned for score. He also came up with five fumble recoveries, two of those taken back for touchdowns.

McCourty certainly knows the value of forcing turnovers and conversely how important back security is. In advance of the clash between the Panthers and Buccaneers, he had some thoughts on the game via on ESPN’s Get Up. In particular, the well-traveled defensive back focused on the reigning NFC South champions and their starting quarterback.

This season, Todd Bowles’s team has actually cut back on the mistakes from a year ago. In 2024, the team turned over the ball 23 times during the regular season. However, 16 games into ’25, the Buccaneers have given up the ball a mere 15 times. That certainly sounds like improvement.

Here’s the rub. During the team’s 6-2 start, the Bucs committed a total of five turnovers—all coming in three games. In their last eight outings, they’ve doubled that turnover total (10) and dropped seven of those contests. All of those miscues come courtesy of Baker Mayfield via eight interceptions and two lost fumbles.

Meanwhile, this is a Carolina team that has come up with 20 takeaways in 16 games. While that’s a far from an awe-inspiring total, it’s the club’s best showing in this department (22) since 2020.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.