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BY IRA KAUFMAN

Todd Bowles had a task for equipment director Brad Berlin after Sunday’s game in Charlotte — can you scrounge up another dozen game balls?

With their season literally on the line, the Bucs dominated the line of scrimmage throughout a 43-13 rout of the Panthers. Instead of falling four games behind Carolina in the loss column, Tampa Bay is now poised to compete for a division title over the final 11 weeks of the regular season.

Every Buccaneer got into the game and it seemed like everyone made a contribution. Tampa Bay won the turnover battle 4-0 and a relentless rushing attack allowed Baker Mayfield to ease back in after missing three games with a dislocated right thumb.

Bryce Young entered the matchup as a hot quarterback, but he was all thumbs against a Buc defense that combined a dynamic pass rush with tight coverage.

In posting back-to-back road wins in Dallas and Charlotte, the Bucs ran for 499 yards. Once again, Bucky Irving led the way on the ground, but Kenneth Gainwell and Sean Tucker combined for 140 rushing yards as an offensive line missing right tackle Luke Goedeke opened massive holes.

Todd Bowles, who likes to talk about complementary football, should put this tape in a time capsule. A 26-6 second quarter staked Tampa Bay to a 27-point halftime lead and the Bucs coasted the rest of the way, rebounding from last week’s demoralizing late collapse against Pittsburgh.

Mayfield threw only 11 times, but he capped Tampa Bay’s sensational opening half by rolling right and buying time before spotting Tez Johnson, who broke free for a 14-yard TD catch with only four seconds left in the second quarter.

As he did against the Cowboys, Irving was the catalyst from the start. Tampa Bay opened with a 16-play, 70-yard drive that took up more than half of the first quarter. Carolina’s rush defense was gouged repeatedly and Irving finished with 106 yards on the ground and two scores.

Early in the second quarter, a key sequence proved consequential as the Bucs improved to 2-5 while dropping Carolina to 3-3.

Touchdown scorer Calijah Kancey.

The Bucs were ahead 10-0 when Al-Quadin Muhammad stripped the ball from Young on a sack. Calijah Kancey alertly scooped up the loose ball and ran 32 yards for a touchdown. When the Panthers gained some momentum on Young’s 50-yard TD pass to Darren Waller, Tykee Smith blocked the extra-point try and Zyon McCollum raced the distance with the deflection to put Tampa Bay ahead 19-6. On the ensuing possession, Irving and Gainwell led the way on a 59-yard drive capped by Irving’s second short scoring run.

It was an afternoon of redemption for an offensive front that allowed five sacks against the Steelers while Irving averaged a mere 2.4 yards per carry.

A 258-yard ground game rarely left Mayfield behind the sticks as Tampa Bay converted on 7-of-12 third-down situations.
The Bucs now face the Falcons at home, where Tampa Bay is 0-4 while averaging just 17 points.

Atlanta, 3-4, is coming off a stirring upset against the 49ers and the last time the Falcons visited Raymond James Stadium, they walked out with an improbable 29-28 comeback victory that generated a memorable post-game tirade from Mike Evans.

Here’s how the Bucs manhandled the Panthers in their opening divisional matchup and kept hope alive:

* The Bucs just won easily while Mayfield threw for 64 yards. That’s hard to do, but the run game was so dominant that Tampa Bay owned nearly a 12-minute advantage in possession time. The Bucs reeled off eight runs of 10 yards or more and the blocking up front was fierce all afternoon.

* Young looked uncomfortable all day, completing barely half of his pass attempts for 163 yards. He was sacked five times and picked off twice. Now the Panthers have to head to Green Bay on a short week Thursday night before facing Denver’s furious pass rush.

* Besides the blocked extra point, Tykee Smith jumped an out route and held on for an impressive interception’ that set up a Chase McLaughlin FG. It was one of four Tampa Bay drives that began in Carolina territory.

* YaYa Diaby entered the game without a sack, then dropped Young three times. Maybe that will get him going against Michael Penix Jr. in Week 8.

* McCollum continued his strong season with his first pick of the year and the long runback off the blocked PAT.

* How dominant were the Bucs through the opening 30 minutes? They had 39 snaps to Carolina’s 19 and owned a 16-5 advantage in first downs.

* Although David Walker didn’t pad his team-leading total of four sacks, Young was buried five times. That gives Tampa Bay 16 sacks on the season. Penix was not dropped by the 49ers in 34 pass attempts on Sunday in Atlanta.

* Tampa Bay’s only two wins have come in overwhelming fashion on the road. In both cases, Irving set the tone on the ground. When Irving averages at least 4.4 yards per carry this season, the Bucs average 28 points. When he doesn’t, that average shrinks to 16 points per game.

* Mayfield now has another week for his sore thumb to heal. He didn’t look impaired when he fired that killer TD strike to Johnson just before the half. Give Johnson credit for not giving up on the play and breaking wide-ass open as Mayfield left the pocket and veered right.

* You can’t overstate how badly the Panthers were outplayed in the trenches. Young was under constant duress and Carolina barely had the ball while the score was competitive because the Bucs kept churning out first downs behind stout blocking by linemen, tight ends and wide receivers. This game and the Dallas matchup represent two of the top 10 rushing efforts in franchise history.

* The Bucs keep saying they’re close to turning this dismal start around — and maybe they are. Despite the 2-5 record, Tampa Bay has now outscored opponents 162-151 on the season. Can they string back-to-back wins together? That hasn’t happened since early October of 2025.