Similar to final 12 months, the Bucs have gotten by a lot of their 2024 season earlier than assembly the division rival Panthers for the primary time in a season. In 2023, Tampa Bay matched up with Carolina at dwelling in Week 13 and on the street in Week 18, and it’s an identical schedule this 12 months. Solely this time, the Bucs are at Carolina in Week 13 and enjoying host to Dave Canales and Co. in Week 17.
Tampa Bay comes into this sport at 5-6, needing to beat its former offensive coordinator and his new workforce to earn back-to-back wins for the primary time since Weeks 1 and a pair of. Doing so would additionally get Todd Bowles’ workforce again to .500 within the first time in over a month whereas serving to within the playoff push.Â
All-time, the Panthers have a 25-22 benefit in 47 conferences with the Bucs, however Tampa Bay has received seven of the final eight contests between the 2 sides. However how have among the Bucs’ key gamers fared towards the Panthers over the course of their careers? Let’s break all of it down.
Baker Mayfield Has A Historical past Of Successful Ugly vs. Panthers
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photograph by: USA In the present day
For Baker Mayfield, who spent a part of the 2022 season in Carolina earlier than ending out the 12 months in Los Angeles, there’s each good and unhealthy information about his historical past towards the Panthers. The excellent news is that he’s by no means misplaced to Carolina, going 3-0 between his time with the Browns and Bucs. However the unhealthy information is that he has but to actually play a nice sport towards this specific NFC South foe. In different phrases, he has a historical past of profitable ugly in previous matchups.
His first sport towards the Panthers got here in 2018 when he was a rookie with the Browns. He was environment friendly in that sport, going 18-of-22 for 238 yards and a landing. That’s actually good, nevertheless it was solely a 26-20 win and truly marked his greatest efficiency of the three.
When he got here to the Bucs in 2023, Mayfield continued his profitable methods towards the Panthers, serving to his new workforce sweep certainly one of his outdated ones. However each video games have been ugly. Tampa Bay received the primary 21-18 earlier than profitable the second 9-0. Within the three-point win in Tampa, Mayfield was simply 14-of-29 for 202 yards, a landing and an interception. That efficiency was simply ok, and the efficiency in Week 18 very luckily didn’t price the Bucs the sport and their third straight NFC South title.
In that 9-0 win, Mayfield was 20-of-32 for 137 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. He might’ve had a pair (or perhaps a few) interceptions within the sport, however Carolina couldn’t take benefit and Tampa Bay’s protection shouldered the burden and pitched a shutout. In his three profession wins over Carolina, Mayfield has accomplished 62.7% of his passes for 577 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
So, whereas Mayfield attending to 4-0 towards the Panthers in any means attainable is the primary goal, he’s absolutely seeking to do extra on his half to place the Bucs in place to win comfortably at Financial institution of America Stadium.
Mike Evans Has Been Dominant Towards Carolina
Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
In his illustrious 11-year profession, Mike Evans has seen the Panthers 19 occasions. He’s additionally performed the Falcons 19 occasions (together with as soon as this 12 months) and has 20 video games towards the Saints (together with one this 12 months). So, it’s throughout the context of a fair enjoying area the place it’s protected to say that Evans has been extra dominant towards Carolina than another NFC South opponent.
Whereas his catch charge is simply over 50% (53.4%), he has 102 catches, 1,480 yards and 11 touchdowns in his profession towards the Panthers. These 102 catches and 1,480 yards are essentially the most he has towards any opponent, and the 11 touchdowns are the second-most he has towards any opponent (he has 13 towards the Falcons).
Evans has 4 profession 100-yard video games and two multi-touchdown video games in 19 conferences with the Panthers.
Evans’ greatest sport within the collection got here on New 12 months’s Day 2023 when he caught 10 of his 12 targets for 207 yards and three touchdowns, serving to the Bucs beat the Panthers and clinch a second straight NFC South title. He had landing catches of 63, 57 and 30 yards in that sport, with the second of these two keying a fourth-quarter comeback for Tampa Bay.
Final 12 months, Evans cut up his performances towards the Panthers between good and unhealthy. Within the assembly in Tampa, he caught seven of his 12 targets for 162 yards and a landing (a 75-yarder). However within the 9-0 win at Carolina, he was held to solely three catches on eight targets for 22 yards.
Bucs’ Youthful Playmakers Have But To Actually Get Going vs. Panthers
Bucs RB Rachaad White and RT Luke Goedeke – Photograph by: USA In the present day
The Bucs would clearly wish to have manufacturing from different playmakers who aren’t Mike Evans, and given Carolina’s dead-last run stopping protection, Sunday is a giant alternative for Tampa Bay’s backfield to prepared the ground. After all, Bucky Irving is ready for his first profession sport with the Panthers, however the different younger playmakers on the Buccaneer offense haven’t carried out an entire lot to put in writing dwelling about in the previous couple of years.
Rachaad White has performed Carolina 4 occasions in his profession and has rushed 56 occasions for 205 yards (3.7 avg.) and a landing in these video games. He has additionally totaled 13 catches on 16 targets for 74 yards (5.7 avg.). Although to be honest to White, he had two strong video games towards the Panthers when he was a full-time starter in 2023. Within the dwelling win, he surpassed 100 complete yards, speeding for 84 on 20 carries (4.2 avg.) and including 22 yards receiving on three catches. He additionally scored his lone landing in that sport.
Within the away sport, White helped the Bucs put the sport away late and should have even price himself an opportunity at his first 1,000-yard season for the great of the workforce closing out the sport and never having to provide the ball again to Carolina. He ran for 75 yards on 19 carries in that 9-0 win, plus he caught all 4 of his targets for 18 yards. So whereas White hasn’t damaged out towards Carolina, final 12 months was a step ahead.
Elsewhere on the roster, although, there’s not a variety of manufacturing from anybody else on offense. Cade Otton has simply eight catches for 111 yards (13.9 avg.) and no touchdowns in 4 video games towards the Panthers, and final 12 months he had nothing within the dwelling win and simply two catches for 30 yards within the street win.
Maybe it’ll be some mixture of Irving and White that offers Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans the help they want come Sunday, or perhaps it’ll be Otton who has his first massive sport towards Carolina.
Lavonte David Makes Performs vs. Panthers
Bucs ILB Lavonte David and 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
Whereas Vita Vea has solely 2.5 sacks over 11 profession video games towards the Panthers, there’s a member of the Bucs’ entrance seven who has proven up and made performs repeatedly on this yearly NFC South collection. That may, in fact, be Lavonte David. Whereas his 21 video games towards Carolina are 4 fewer than he has towards Atlanta and New Orleans, the Panthers are one of many workforce’s he’s been exceptionally productive towards.
David has 174 tackles (106 solo), 6.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, 9 quarterback hits, an interception, 4 passes defensed, three compelled fumbles and three fumble recoveries over these 21 conferences with Carolina. The 6.5 sacks and three compelled fumbles are tied for his most towards any workforce, whereas his three fumble recoveries are essentially the most he has towards a single opponent.
Maybe the most effective sport of David’s profession on this divisional matchup got here on January 3, 2016 when he posted 12 tackles (4 solo), a sack, a compelled fumble and two fumble recoveries. Or perhaps it was his efficiency on New 12 months’s Day 2017, which noticed him rack up six tackles (5 solo) and two sacks.
He didn’t have any splash performs within the two contests with the Panthers final 12 months, however he did complete 18 tackles (10 solo) between these two video games. He’s coming off certainly one of his higher video games of the 2024 season final Sunday, and he’ll look to maintain it going this week when he renews acquaintances with a well-known foe. A splash play might go a good distance for Tampa Bay because it appears to beat Carolina and get to 6-6 earlier than coming again dwelling to Raymond James Stadium in Week 14.
Carolina Hasn’t Had An Reply For Antoine Winfield Jr.
Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
The Panthers might need their justifiable share of nightmares about Antoine Winfield Jr. and what he’s managed to do over the previous couple of years. Winfield solely got here into the league in 2020, however from the very starting, he was a menace to Carolina.
The truth is, Winfield’s greatest sport towards the Panthers may’ve been his first. That got here on Sept. 20, 2020, and it was solely the second sport of the younger security’s profession within the NFL. In a 31-17 win, Winfield completed with 11 tackles (eight solo), a sack and a compelled fumble. That may actually show to be an indication of issues to return each when it comes to what the 2020 second-round choose would deliver to the Buccaneer protection, in addition to what he might do to Carolina.
Over seven matchups with the Panthers, Winfield has 41 tackles (31 solo), 5.0 sacks, six tackles for loss, an interception, three passes defensed, two compelled fumbles and a fumble restoration. He has extra sacks and tackles for loss towards the Panthers than another workforce within the NFL, and he’s registered a sack in three straight conferences with Carolina. As a part of that sack streak, he had one in each video games towards the Panthers final 12 months. Within the sport at Raymond James Stadium in early December, he additionally sealed the sport with a late interception of Bryce Younger.
And it was his play within the season finale which will have received Tampa Bay the sport and the division, as he tracked down DJ Chark to pressure a fumble simply earlier than he crossed the purpose line. That stored the Panthers off the board and loomed giant because the Bucs went on to win 9-0. His sack in that sport was completely timed, too, because it got here on a 3rd down on the Tampa Bay 25-yard line with the Bucs solely up 6-0. He dropped Younger for a lack of 9, and Matthew Wright went on to overlook a 52-yard area purpose on the subsequent play.
Don’t be shocked if Winfield has a giant half to play in a possible win for the Bucs this Sunday. Tampa Bay’s protection has been a shell of itself for a lot of this 12 months, however when No. 31 will get going, he is usually a one-man game-wrecker. It’s time for that facet of him to reemerge because the stretch run heats up.
