Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield said his right thumb might be a little sore after Sunday’s win over the Panthers moved the team to 2-5, but he did it with a smile because the cause of the soreness was how often he handed the ball off.
The Bucs ran all over the Panthers en route to a 43-13 win, which meant Mayfield only had to throw the ball 11 times in his return from missing three games with a dislocated thumb. Bucky Irving, Kenneth Gainwell, and Sean Tucker ran 45 times for 246 yards in the victory and Mayfield said after it was over that the Bucs need to take it as proof of what they’re capable of doing.
“I think it’s a statement internally for us, not to anybody else, but for us,” Mayfield said, via the team’s website. “This is what it’s supposed to look like. No, it’s not always going to look like that, it’s the NFL, but operation-wise and when it comes to complementary football, this is what the potential for this team can have so it’s a statement within ourselves.”
The Bucs’ 1-5 start made it hard to see much positive about how things will play out, but Sunday’s game was their first in the NFC South and no one has come close to running away with the division. Posting another win against the Falcons next Sunday would make their position look even better and Sunday’s performance provided reason for confidence that they can pull that off.
Bucs Clips
The Panthers couldn’t get out of the way of the Buccaneers’ freight train on Sunday.
The Bucs led 17-0 early in the first quarter, 33-6 at halftime and blew out the Panthers 43-13. It was ugly for the home team, which turned it over four times for 20 Buccaneers points and gave up a 2-point defensive conversion on a blocked PAT.
The Bucs are 2-5 and the Panthers 3-3.
Baker Mayfield returned after missing three games with a broken right thumb, but the Panthers’ ineptitude and the Bucs’ run game powered Tampa Bay.
The Bucs rushed for 258 yards on 49 carries, with three backs over 50 yards rushing. Bucky Irving led the way with 24 carries for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Kenneth Gainwell added 88 yards on 14 carries, and Sean Tucker had seven carries for 52 yards and a touchdown.
Mayfield was only 7-of-11 for 64 yards and a touchdown, a 14-yard throw to Tez Johnson.
Bryce Young threw two interceptions and lost a fumble on a strip-sack Al-Quadin Muhammad that Calijah Kancey returned 32 yards for a touchdown. David Moore muffed a punt that Ko Kieft recovered for the Bucs at the Carolina 18.
The Bucs had scoring drives of 14, 32 and 6 in addition to their defensive touchdown. They also had the NFL’s first defensive 2-point conversion of the season when Tykee Smith blocked Ryan Fitzgerald’s PAT attempt and Zyon McCollum returned it to the end zone.
McCollum also had one of the picks of Young.
Baker Mayfield is back, and apparently, so are the Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay crushed the Panthers in the first half, forcing three turnovers and scoring in every phase. The Bucs lead 33-6 at halftime.
Mayfield didn’t do much, but he didn’t need to with the Panthers self-destructing.
Bryce Young lost a fumble on a strip-sack by Al-Quadin Muhammad that Calijah Kancey returned 32 yards for a touchdown; Panthers wide receiver David Moore muffed a punt that Ko Kieft recovered for the Bucs at the Carolina 18, and Chase McLaughlin kicked a 22-yard field goal after Tampa Bay stalled at the Carolina 4; and Bucs cornerback Zyon McCollum intercepted Young just before the half, with his 18-yard return setting up Tampa Bay at the Carolina 32.
Tez Johnson scored on an 18-yard reception from Mayfield with four seconds left in the first half. It was Mayfield’s 200th career touchdown throw.
Even when things went right for Young and Carolina, they went so wrong.
The Panthers scored their only points on a 50-yard reception by tight end Darren Waller, but Ryan Fitzgerald’s PAT attempt was blocked by Tykee Smith. McCollum returned it for a defensive 2-point conversion.
It is the first defensive 2-point conversion in the NFL this season after teams combined for two all of last season.
The Bucs have 196 yards, and Mayfield is only 5-of-9 for 49 yards and a touchdown. Bucky Irving has 18 carries for 84 yards and two touchdowns.
The Panthers have 114 yards, with Young 7-of-11 for 95 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The Buccaneers are running away from the turnover-prone Panthers in Carolina.
They have an offensive touchdown, a field goal and now a defensive touchdown.
Al-Quadin Muhammad had a strip-sack of Bryce Young, and Calijah Kancey returned it 32 yards for a touchdown.
The Panthers have only 30 yards, with Young going 4-of-6 for 26 yards, and two turnovers. David Moore muffed a punt that Ko Kieft recovered for the Bucs at the Carolina 18.
The Bucs had to settle for a field goal on the gift after stalling at the Carolina 4. Chase McLaughlin kicked a 22-yard field goal.
The Buccaneers have Baker Mayfield back, and they have a 7-0 lead over the Panthers after the first drive.
Tampa Bay took the opening kickoff and went 70 yards in 14 plays. Bucky Irving walked into the end zone for a 4-yard score with 7:22 remaining in the first quarter.
Mayfield is 2-for-4 for 23 yards in his return from a broken right thumb, which kept him out three games. Tez Johnson had a 19-yard reception.
Irving has 10 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown.
If the league office has a favorite team, it’s currently the Buccaneers. Every week, their games remain exciting because they’re undecided down to the end.
Tampa Bay has a current streak of 12 straight one-score games. Via NBC Sports research, it’s tied for the third-longest streak of one-score games since the merger.
The 1989-90 Chargers had a 14-game streak, and the 2014-15 Ravens had a 13-game streak.
The bad news for the Bucs is that they’re 3-9 in those games — and 1-5 on the season. They’ll get quarterback Baker Mayfield back today in Carolina; he missed three games with a dislocated thumb suffered in Week 3 against the Vikings.
The good news for the Bucs is that, since 2020, they’re 10-2 against the Panthers.
The Jets won’t be getting running back Breece Hall back in the lineup for Sunday’s home date against the Dolphins.
Hall was listed as questionable on Friday due to the quad injury that’s kept him out for the last two games, but he wound up on the wrong side of that decision when the team released its inactive list for Week 7. Hall was limited in practice during the week and a move to full practice may be necessary for him to get back in the lineup.
Braelon Allen has 41 carries for 194 yards and a touchdown as the starter in Hall’s absence.
While Hall remains out, the Jets will be getting wide receiver Adonai Mitchell back in the lineup. He’s missed the last four games with a finger injury.
Dolphins at Jets
Dolphins: LB Willie Gay, WR Jalen Tolbert, CB Marcellas Dial, CB Reese Taylor, DE Rob Beal, OL DJ Campbell, OT Chukwuebuka Godrick
Jets: CB Jarvis Brownlee, RB Kene Nwangwu, RB Breece Hall, LB Joseph Ossai, OL Max Mitchell, G Dylan Parham, DL Jack Heflin
49ers at Falcons
49ers: DE Nick Bosa, WR Mike Evans, WR Deebo Samuel, LB Luke Gifford, LB Garret Wallow, S Marques Sigle, QB Kurtis Rourke
Falcons: QB Jack Strand, LB Divine Deablo, CB Avieon Terrell, QB Andy Dalton, WR Olamide Zaccheaus, RB Brian Robinson, DB Billy Bowman
Giants at Texans
Giants: OL Josh Sills, TE Theo Johnson, OL Marcus Mbow, CB Greg Newsome, CB Nikko Reed, S Jevon Holland, QB Jake Haener
Texans: T Blake Fisher, G Febechi Nwaiwu, T Nathan Thomas, TE Marlin Klein, RB David Montgomery, S Jalen Pitre, S Reed Blankenship
Bengals at Ravens
Bengals: S Russ Yeast, C Connor Lew, OT Myles Hinton, DE Shemar Stewart, DT Landon Robinson
Ravens: QB Lamar Jackson, S Jaylinn Hawkins, WR Elijah Sarratt, G Andrew Vorhees, DT Broderick Washington
Buccaneers at Panthers
Buccaneers: DL DeMonte Capehart, WR Emeka Egbuka, CB Ayden Garnes, T Luke Goedeke, G Billy Schrauth, S Antoine Winfield Jr.
Panthers: TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, LB Jaelan Phillips, QB Haynes King, RB AJ Dillon, C Sam Hecht, OT Stone Forsythe, DT TeRah Edwards
Colts at Vikings
Colts: LB Bryce Boettcher, LB CJ Allen, CB Sauce Gardner, TE Tyler Warren, WR Anthony Gould, G Dalton Tucker, QB Riley Leonard
Vikings: S Jakobe Thomas, QB Max Brosmer, CB Chuck Demmings, RB Demond Claiborne, OT Caleb Tiernan, DL Elijah Williams
Browns at Titans
Browns: QB Taylen Green, LB Justin Jefferson, CB Noah Igbinoghene, RB Audric Estime, DT Mike Hall Jr., C Parker Brailsford
Titans: WR Calvin Ridley, RB Tyjae Spears, RB Nick Singleton, TE Kylen Granson, OT Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, DT Jackie Marshall, CB Jaylon Jones
The NFL has admitted a rather embarrassing officiating mistake from Week 5: When Buccaneers defensive lineman Calijah Kancey was called for illegal hands to the face, it was actually a Cowboys player who put his hands in Kancey’s face, and somehow the wrong team got assessed the penalty when it was time to step off the yardage.
In the weekly officiating video, NFL officiating and rules analyst Walt Anderson said Cowboys guard Tyler Booker put his hands in Kancey’s face but somehow that was miscommunicated as Kancey committing the penalty. Anderson said when the on-field officials make a mistake that blatant, the league officiating office should correct it immediately.
“Were going to have a foul called on No. 94 on the defensive team for illegal hands to the face,” Anderson said. “The only action relative to any hands is really by the offensive player here. So this is the type of play that the Competition Committee has instructed officiating that if objective information in terms of just asking the officials, ‘Are we sure we have the right number of the player here?’ that we can end up assisting with this. Because it’s clearly not a foul by No. 94. If there is illegal use of hands, it’s obviously by No. 52 of the offense.”
Kancey made clear in the moment that he knew it was a bad call, but there’s nothing a player can do to fix a bad call against him. The New York officiating office could have fixed it, but didn’t.
Baker Mayfield is set to return to the Buccaneers lineup for Sunday’s game against the Panthers, but it looks like the quarterback will be missing one of his top targets.
Head coach Todd Bowles said on Friday, via multiple reporters, that Mayfield is “ready to go” after missing the last three games with a dislocated right thumb. Mayfield said the same on Thursday and he will wear a glove on his right hand to provide added protection.
Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is unlikely to join Mayfield in the lineup, however. Egbuka returned to practice on Friday after missing the first two days of the week while dealing with a concussion and Bowles said he will be listed as doubtful to play this weekend.
Right tackle Luke Goedeke also returned to practice, but Bowles said he’s out with a calf injury. Safety Antoine Winfield is also out and will miss his third straight game with a rib injury.
Baker Mayfield appears to be on track to make his return to the Buccaneers lineup in Week 7 and it looks like running back Bucky Irving is moving in the same direction.
Irving missed practice on Wednesday because of an illness and he got in a limited practice session on Thursday. Cornerback Zyon McCollum had the same upgrade after taking a sick day to kick off the practice week.
Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (concussion, foot) appears less likely to play. He missed practice for the second straight day, which will make it difficult for him to clear concussion protocol in time to face the Panthers.
Right tackle Luke Goedeke (calf) and linebacker Christian Rozeboom (finger) also missed a second straight practice. Safety Antoine Winfield (rib) remained a limited participant as he tries to return from missing the last two games.
Punter Riley Dixon (illness), defensive lineman Calijah Kancey (illness), guard Cody Mauch (wrist), kicker Chase McLaughlin (illness), cornerback Benjamin Morrison (quad), receiver David Sills (hamstring), linebacker Josiah Trotter (shoulder), and running back Sean Tucker (quad) were all full participants on Thursday.
