Since coming out of their Week 11 bye with a 4-6 record, the rejuvenated Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been racing the Atlanta Falcons to the NFC South finish line. The Buccaneers briefly pulled ahead of their long-time rivals on the strength of a four-game winning streak, but a loss in Dallas on Sunday night allowed the Falcons to nudge back in front. Now the two 8-7 teams are rounding the last bend, with two weeks to go and only Atlanta's head-to-head tiebreaker making the difference.

The Bucs' 26-24 prime time loss to the Cowboys was a painful one, as it robbed the team of full control of its own playoff fate – an Atlanta loss to Washington on Sunday or to Carolina in Week 18 is now a necessary part of Tampa Bay's clinching formula – but they had the ball with a chance to win it at the end after climbing out of a double-digit deficit.

"I keep saying it, this team has the mental makeup of a great team," said quarterback Baker Mayfield. "We just have to continue to fight and find ways to win. It's one thing to have your back against the wall, everybody knows what's at stake here. There's no secret, so yeah, we're going to do everything we can to win. On the other side of it, you have to stay at the top. You have to do everything you can to do that so obviously [we have our] backs against the wall, though."

Hoping to spoil the Bucs' plans for a fourth straight NFC South title are two division rivals, starting with 4-11 Carolina this Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. These two teams met just one month ago in Charlotte, and despite the Panthers' win-loss record it still went down to the wire. Carolina quarterback Bryce Young hit Adam Thielen on a 25-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass with 30 seconds left in regulation, but that left enough time for Mayfield to engineer a drive ending in Chase McLaughlin's game-tying 51-yard field goal. In overtime, a critical forced fumble by Anthony Nelson put the Bucs in position to win it, 26-23, with another clutch McLaughlin kick.

The Panthers are coming off their own tough overtime win over Arizona last Sunday and have recently come close to beating not only the Buccaneers but also the Chiefs and Eagles.

"We know it's going to be a tough ball game – it went overtime last time," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "They're coached very well; they play very hard. We know what's at stake for us. It doesn't need to be talked about. Everybody understands that. We've got to clean up our own mistakes, and we've got to play an error-free football game."

Mayfield and the Buccaneers' offense continue to keep the Buccaneers in every game. Tampa Bay is now fifth in the NFL in points per game (28.5), third in yards per game (389.8), third in passing offense, seventh in rushing offense, third in first downs and second in third-down success rate. However, familiarity may be an issue, especially with how recently the two teams played each other. Panthers Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero and Bucs Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen previously crossed paths with the Rams and Ejiro knows what a Sean McVay-inspired offense looks like.

"Yeah, I think division opponent – anything like that – we know them well," said Mayfield. "They know us well. It goes to that and just scheme-wise, their [defensive coordinator] is somebody that was in [Los Angeles] and knows Liam. Just knowing each other, there's a lot of stuff that you can…you try and do a little bit of scheme tendency breakers a little bit. They get a good sense for what we're trying to do."

Young, who was benched in Week Two but got his job back around midseason when replacement Andy Dalton was hurt in a car accident, has shown significant improvement in the season's second half. In his last six games, he has thrown seven touchdown passes against three interceptions; that includes last week's overtime win over Arizona in which he threw for a pair of scores and had a passer rating of 107.3. He is supported by the Panthers' biggest breakout player of 2024, running back Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard ranks sixth in the NFL in rushing yards and has also been a prolific pass-catcher out of the backfield.

Most importantly, the Panthers haven't quit despite being out of the playoff race, and the Buccaneers saw how important that was last weekend in Dallas. Safety Jordan Whitehead, who could return from a four-game injured reserve stint this week, didn't get to face the Panthers last time but saw how they took the Buccaneers to the brink. The Buccaneers had just started openly treating every game as if it was a must-win playoff contest at that point, and that has only intensified as the season has come down to the wire, with so much at stake over the next 10 days.

"It's a long season," said Whitehead. "These last two games – most people their last two games are what matter the most. Two division games for us. It's definitely a good game [for me] to come back. We've still got a lot on the table, we're still fighting for this playoff spot. It's like, this is the playoffs for me, for the whole team, for everybody. This is the playoffs. It's been the playoffs for the last couple weeks and we've been winning. We just need something to go in our favor, but I know the guys are hungry."

GAME AND BROADCAST DETAILS

Carolina Panthers (4-11) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)

Sunday, December 29, 1:00 p.m. ET

Raymond James Stadium (capacity: 65,844)

Tampa, Florida

Television: CBS

TV Broadcast Team: Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Charles Davis (analysts), Evan Washburn (reporter)

Radio: 98Rock (WXTB, 97.9 FM), Flagship Station

Radio Broadcast Team: Gene Deckerhoff (play-by-play), Dave Moore (analyst), T.J. Rives (reporter)

Spanish Radio: 96.1 Caliente

Spanish Radio Broadcast Team: Carlos Bohorquez (play-by-play), Martin Gramática (analyst), Santiago Gramática (reporter)

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

Coming to the game or enjoying pregame festivities? Check out our Buccaneers Gameday Page for everything you need to know about getting ready for the game, Tailgate Packages, Bucs Beach and more!

TICKETING INFORMATION

The 2024 season is underway and there are a limited number of Single Game Tickets on sale now! Visit Buccaneers.com to purchase tickets.

ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES

The Panthers lead the all-time series with the Buccaneers, 25-23, but the Buccaneers have won eight of the last nine meetings and 10 of the last 12. That includes consecutive season sweeps in 2020 and 2021, the first time the Bucs had managed that against Carolina since the NFC South was formed in 2002. The Buccaneers and Panthers also met three times before realignment put them in the same division, including a contest in Death Valley that the Bucs won, 20-13, in the Panthers' 1995 inaugural season.

Earlier this season, the Buccaneers further narrowed the gap on the Panthers' series lead with a dramatic 26-23 victory in overtime. It was the second overtime win against Carolina for the Buccaneers, who also took a 27-21 decision with an extra period in 2012. In this one, Bryce Young threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Adam Thielen to give Carolina a 23-20 lead with 30 seconds left in regulation. Baker Mayfield was able to drive the Bucs into position for Chase McLaughlin to hit a game-tying 51-yard field goal as time expired. Tampa Bay won the overtime coin toss but McLaughlin missed a 55-yard field goal and the Panthers subsequently drove into Buccaneers territory before Anthony Nelson forced a Chuba Hubbard fumble that was recovered by Yaya Diaby. A 38-yard run by Rachaad White set McLaughlin up for the 30-yard game-winner.

The Buccaneers got another season sweep in 2023, with both games occurring in the last six weeks of the season. The first meeting was in Week 13, which the Buccaneers won 21-18 in Tampa. On a rainy afternoon and early evening, the Bucs outlasted a game Panthers squad thanks to wide receiver Chris Godwin's 19-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter on an end-around. That gave the home team an 11-point lead, which the Panthers shaved to three on Hubbard's one-yard touchdown run with five minutes to go. Carolina got the ball back with 3:31 to play but safety Antoine Winfield Jr. saved the Bucs with an interception near midfield. In the rematch in Charlotte in Week 18, Winfield made another critical play, stripping Panthers wide receiver D.J. Chark of the ball inches before the goal line on what seemed certain to be a 43-yard touchdown. That play helped preserve a shutout as the two teams combined for just 447 yards of offense and all the points in a 9-0 decision came on McLaughlin field goals.

Since the two teams started playing each other twice a year, the head-to-head battle has traditionally been one-sided, though that side often flips back and forth. From 2002-17, 13 of the 16 season series between these two teams ended in a sweep, including every one from 2009 through 2017. It went Carolina's way in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017. The Bucs got the sweep in 2002, 2010, 2012 and 2016. Interestingly, the three splits came in years the Buccaneers either made the playoffs (2005, 2007) or really should have (2008…which ended in a four-game losing streak after a 9-3 start).

The 2022 head-to-head, however, was a split, with each team winning at home. Carolina handed the Bucs perhaps their most humbling loss of the season in Week Seven, a 21-3 drubbing at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The Panthers came into the game with a 1-5 record and had recently fired Head Coach Matt Rhule and traded superstar running back Christian McCaffrey. Third-string quarterback P.J. Walker completed 16 of his 22 passes and tossed two touchdowns against no interceptions and running backs D'Onta Foreman and Hubbard combined for 181 rushing yards.

The rematch in Week 17 proved to be one of the Buccaneers' most important wins in recent years as it clinched the team's second straight NFC South title and made a potential divisional free-for-all in Week 18 moot. It didn't come easily, as the Panthers rushed out to a quick 14-0 lead on two Sam Darnold touchdown passes, but Tom Brady solved the problem by repeatedly throwing moon shots to Mike Evans. Evans caught touchdown passes of 63, 57 and 30 yards and finished the game with 207 yards on 10 grabs. His last one put the Bucs in the lead for the first time in the fourth quarter, and a Brady touchdown run provided the final winning margin in a 30-24 squeaker.

The Bucs and Panthers met twice in the final three weeks of the 2021 season, with Tampa Bay taking both contests by a combined score of 73-23. In the regular season finale, the Buccaneers got 137 receiving yards from Rob Gronkowski and two touchdown receptions from Evans before wideout Scotty Miller capped the scoring by taking an end-around 33 yards for a touchdown. Two weeks earlier, the Buccaneers had prevailed at Bank of America Stadium when the defense sacked quarterbacks Darnold and Cam Newton a total of seven times and allowing just two field goals. Safety Jordan Whitehead had a key interception and three pass break-ups. Ke'Shawn Vaughn's 55-yard touchdown jaunt, the Bucs' longest run of the year, started the scoring and emerging wideout Cyril Grayson accounted for 95 yards of offense, including a 62-yard reception.

In 2020, the Bucs' September win at home against Carolina was the first of 15 they would stack up on their way to a Super Bowl championship, and the first win as a Buccaneer for Brady. Leonard Fournette paced the offense with 116 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns and Carlton Davis and Whitehead each had interceptions off Teddy Bridgewater in a 31-17 decision. The rematch in Charlotte in November was a high-scoring affair that included the longest run in Buccaneers' history, Ronald Jones' 98-yard touchdown dash. Incredibly, the Buccaneers scored on 10 straight possessions to pull away from the Panthers for a 46-23 win.

In 2019, the Buccaneers secured a tight win in Charlotte on a Thursday night in Week Two when Vernon Hargreaves knocked Christian McCaffrey out of bounds two yards shy of the sticks on an all-or-nothing fourth-down run off a direct snap. That 20-14 Bucs win was balanced four weeks later by a 37-26 win for Carolina in a game played in London.

Perhaps the most notable wins for Tampa Bay in the series with Carolina came in 2002 and 2005. At the midpoint of the 2002 Super Bowl campaign, the Buccaneers were coming off a deflating loss in Philadelphia (again) and had to play at Carolina without their quarterback, Brad Johnson, who woke up with the flu. Defense dominated and the Bucs were trailing 9-6 late in the fourth quarter before Martin Gramatica saved the day with two long field goals. In 2005, the Buccaneers were in the middle of a late-season three-game road swing when they went to Bank of America Stadium and won a battle for first place by a 20-10 score. Ronde Barber punctuated that game with a sack and a critical interception, becoming the first cornerback ever to reach 40 interceptions and 25 sacks in his career.

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS

• Dave Canales is in his first year as the Panthers' head coach, landing that job after his excellent one-season performance as the Buccaneers' offensive coordinator. Canales helped Baker Mayfield revive his career, as the veteran quarterback threw for 4,044 yards and a career-high 28 touchdowns.
• When Canales left the Buccaneers for the Panthers, he was followed by three former members of Tampa Bay's offensive coaching staff. Brad Idzik, who tutored the receivers for Tampa Bay in 2023, is Canales's offensive coordinator, while Assistant Head Coach/Run Game Coordinator Harold Goodwin and Offensive Line Coach Joe Gilbert landed in similar positions in Charlotte.
• Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht was a member of the Panthers' scouting staff in 1998.
• Mayfield spent the majority of the 2022 season with the Panthers. He was traded to Carolina by the Cleveland Browns in July of 2022 and subsequently won a preseason competition with Sam Darnold to earn the opening-day starting job under center. He played in seven games with six starts for the Panthers before being waived in December and claimed by the Rams.
• Panthers WR David Moore played for the Buccaneers in 2023, splitting the season between the practice squad and the active roster. Moore got into seven games and contributed five catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. He scored another touchdown in the playoffs.
• Carolina Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero launched his NFL coaching career in 2007 when he joined Jon Gruden's staff as a defensive quality control coach. He held that position for two seasons under Gruden and one more under Raheem Morris.
• Similarly, Todd Wash, now the Panthers' defensive line coach, got his first NFL coaching job in Tampa in the same year, and with the same title of defensive quality control coach. He was promoted in 2008 to defensive line coach and held that job for three seasons before moving on to the Seattle Seahawks.
• Kevin Winston, who is currently the Panthers' Vice President of Player Affairs, served as Tampa Bay's director of player development on Dungy's staff from 1996-99.
• Panthers Outside Linebackers Coach Tem Lukabu put in two seasons on Greg Schiano's coaching staff in Tampa, working as a defensive assistant.
• Panthers outside linebacker Cam Gill began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the Buccaneers in 2020. He won a Super Bowl ring as a rookie and got his first career sack (or, more accurately, split sack) in Super Bowl LV. Gill, played in 40 games for Tampa Bay from 2020-23.

SENIOR COACHING STAFFS

Tampa Bay:

• Head Coach Todd Bowles

• Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen
• Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach Kacy Rodgers
• Pass Game Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Coach Larry Foote
• Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey

Carolina:

• Head Coach Dave Canales

• Offensive Coordinator Brad Idzik
• Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero
• Special Teams Coordinator Tracy Smith

KEY 2024 ROSTER ADDITIONS

Buccaneers:

• C Graham Barton (1st-round draft pick)
• OLB Chris Braswell (2nd-round draft pick)
• G Ben Bredeson (UFA)
• TE Devin Culp (7th-round draft pick)
• S Mike Edwards (W-TEN)
• P Trenton Gill (FA)
• CB Bryce Hall (UFA…currently on injured reserve)
• CB Troy Hill (FA)
• RB Bucky Irving (4th-round draft pick)
• WR Kameron Johnson (UDFA…currently on injured reserve)
• LB Vi Jones (FA)
• G Elijah Klein (6th-round draft pick)
• WR Jalen McMillan (3rd-round draft pick)
• G Royce Newman (W-GB)
• S Tykee Smith (3rd-round draft pick)
• CB Tavierre Thomas (UFA)
• S Jordan Whitehead (UFA)

Panthers:

• CB Shemar Bartholomew (W-NYJ)
• RB Jonathon Brooks (2nd-round pick…currently on injured reserve)
• OLB Jadeveon Clowney (UFA)
• WR Jalen Coker (UDFA)
• DT Jaden Crumedy (6th-round pick)
• TE Feleipe Franks (FA)
• S Jordan Fuller (UFA)
• OLB Cam Gill (FA)
• G Robert Hunt (UFA)
• CB Dane Jackson (UFA)
• LB Josey Jewell (UFA)
• WR Xavier Legette (1st-round draft pick)
• G Damien Lewis (UFA)
• WR David Moore (UFA)
• T Yosh Nijman (UFA)
• S Demani Richardson (UDFA)
• DE A'Shawn Robinson (UFA)
• TE Ja'Tavion Sanders (4th-round draft pick)
• S Nick Scott (FA)
• CB Chau Smith-Wade (5th-round draft pick)
• LB Trevin Wallace (3rd-round draft pick…currently on injured reserve)
• OLB D.J. Wonnum (UFA)

ADDITIONAL 2024 CHANGES/DEVELOPMENTS OF NOTE

Buccaneers:

• As Todd Bowles navigates his third season as the Bucs' head coach he is working with his third offensive coordinator in as many seasons. Last year, Bowles picked former Seattle Quarterbacks Coach Dave Canales to replace Byron Leftwich, but Canales departed this offseason to take over as the head coach of the Panthers. Bowles then turned to Liam Coen, who comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree with the Rams and most recently was the offensive coordinator at the University of Kentucky. Three members of the Bucs' 2023 staff followed Canales to Carolina – Brad Idzik, Harold Goodwin and Joe Gilbert, which led to some other new additions on Bowles staff in 2024. Those include Offensive Line Coach Kevin Carberry, Pass Game Coordinator Josh Grizzard, Wide Receivers Coach Bryan McClendon and Assistant Offensive Line Coach Brian Picucci. In addition, long-time Special Teams Coordinator Keith Armstrong retired in the offseason, so the Bucs brought in Thomas McGaughey as his replacement.
• Under Coen, the Buccaneers' offense employs quite a bit more pre-snap shifts and movement than it had in 2023, and Coen also has widened the variety of the types of runs the ground game employees. One of Coen's other key initiatives in an attempt to get a moribund rushing attack going is to give quarterback Baker Mayfield multiple plays to choose from in the huddle and at the line so that the offense runs into unfavorable looks less often.
• Despite having tight salary cap restrictions, the Buccaneers made it a priority to retain key players from the 2023 season who were scheduled to hit free agency. General Manager Jason Licht and his staff successfully checked off every item on their list of priorities, beginning with a new two-year deal for franchise icon Mike Evans. That helped bring the team's negotiations with quarterback Baker Mayfield to a conclusion. After Mayfield played the 2023 season on a one-year prove-it deal, his resurgence landed him a lucrative new multi-year contract. The Bucs were also able to re-sign linebacker Lavonte David and kicker Chase McLaughlin. With the other deals in the works, the Bucs used the franchise tag on safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and later inking him to a new contract making him the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL.
• All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs didn't need a new contract for 2024 but he was entering the final year of his rookie deal and the Buccaneers were highly motivated to lock him in to a new long-term pact. That lengthy process came to a head on August 1, when the two sides agreed on a five-year extension that runs through the 2029 campaign and makes him the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL.
• In March, the Buccaneers traded cornerback Carlton Davis, who had started 75 games over six seasons with the team, to the Detroit Lions for a third-round pick in this year's draft. The Buccaneers eventually used that pick to select Washington wide receiver Jalen McMillan.
• In a Week Seven Monday Night Football game against Baltimore, the Buccaneers' offense took several serious blows when both Chris Godwin and Mike Evans suffered significant injuries. Godwin, who at the time was leading the NFL with 50 receptions, sustained a dislocated ankle that will keep him out for at least the rest of the regular season, though he has spoken of the possibility of returning for the postseason if the Buccaneers make it into the field. Evans, who caught his 100th career touchdown pass earlier in the Ravens game, incurred a hamstring injury that caused him to miss three games before his return in Week 12.

Panthers:

• The Panthers hired a new head coach for the second year in a row, in this case taking one from a division rival as their choice was former Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator Dave Canales. Canales spent just one season on Todd Bowles' staff in Tampa but was credited with helping to revive quarterback Baker Mayfield's career. After he also had a hand in turning former journeyman passer Geno Smith into a quality starter in Seattle, the Panthers believed he would be a good fit with young franchise quarterback Bryce Young. Canales took former Buccaneers Wide Receivers Coach Brad Idzik with him to Charlotte to be the offensive coordinator.
• Canales and the Panthers actually benched Young after two poor starts in September, turning to veteran quarterback Andy Dalton. Dalton made five starts, the first one a 36-22 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, but sprained the thumb on his throwing hand in a car accident, leading to Young reassuming control of the offense. Young has kept the job since.
• Carolina was involved in two trades of wide receiver Diontae Johnson in the 2024 calendar year. First, the Panthers sent cornerback Donte Jackson and a sixth-round draft pick to Pittsburgh in March in exchange for the veteran receiver and a seventh-round pick. Then, on October 29, Carolina sent Johnson back out to Baltimore along with a sixth-round pick to get back a fifth-round selection.
• The Panthers also made an even bigger trade in the offseason, sending edge rusher Brian Burns to the New York Giants in March. Carolina had placed the franchise tag on Burns but elected to send him to the Giants for a 2024 second-round draft pick, a 2025 fifth-rounder and a swap of fifth-rounders in 2024. Burns had 46.0 sacks in five seasons in Charlotte, never finishing a season with fewer than 7.5, and made two Pro bowls.
• In addition to Burns, Carolina's defense lost two key performers to injuries early in the season. First, defensive tackle Derrick Burns suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game of the season against the Saints. Three weeks later, in a game in Cincinnati, linebacker Shaq Thompson tore an Achilles tendon and was also lost for the season.
• With the emergence of Chuba Hubbard as one of the most productive running backs in the NFL, the Panthers elected to lock him into another contract. The two sides agreed on a four-year, $33.2 million extension on November 7. The Panthers backfield also briefly featured rookie Jonathon Brooks, a second-round pick who was drafted while recovering from ACL surgery after an injury in his final season at Texas. Brooks began the season on the reserve/non-football injury list, was activated on November 6 but then went back on I.R. on December 10 after suffering another ACL tear in the same knee.

INJURY REPORT

Key:

DNP: Did not participate in practice

LP: Limited participation in practice

FP: Full participation in practice

NL: Not listed

Buccaneers:

• C Graham Barton (illness) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: FP
• LB K.J. Britt (ankle) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP
• CB Jamel Dean (knees) – WEDS: NL; THURS: LP
• S Mike Edwards (illness) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: FP
• WR Mike Evans (rest) – WEDS: LP; THURS: DNP
• DL Will Gholston (knee) – WEDS: LP; THURS: DNP
• DL Logan Hall (shoulder/wrist) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP
• S Christian Izien (pectoral) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: Placed on injured reserve.
• WR Kameron Johnson* (ankle) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP
• S Kaevon Merriweather (knee) – WEDS: LP; THURS: LP
• TE Cade Otton (knee) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP
• WR Sterling Shepard (hamstring/foot) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP
• S Jordan Whitehead (pectoral) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP
• S Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP
• T Tristan Wirfs (foot/knee/ankle) – WEDS: LP; THURS: LP

* Johnson and Whitehead are in their 21-day practice windows for return from injured reserve.

Panthers:

• OLB Amare Barno (knee) – WEDS: NL; THURS: LP
• OLB Jadeveon Clowney (knee/elbow) – WEDS: FP; THURS: DNP
• T Ikem Ekwonu (shoulder/illness) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP
• OLB Cam Gill (illness) – WEDS: NL; THURS: DNP
• CB Jaycee Horn (hip) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP
• RB Chuba Hubbard (rest) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: LP
• LB Josey Jewell (head/neck/quad) – WEDS: FP; THURS: DNP
• WR Xavier Legette (hip/wrist) – WEDS: FP; THURS: LP
• G Damien Lewis (illness/ankle) – WEDS: NL; THURS: DNP
• C Chad Mays (illness) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP
• T Taylor Moton (knee) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP
• DE A'Shawn Robinson (knee) – WEDS: FP; THURS: LP
• CB Chau Smith-Wade (illness) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP
• WR Adam Thielen (hamstring) – WEDS: NL; THURS: LP
• TE Tommy Tremble (shoulder/back) – WEDS: NL; THURS: LP
• OLB D.J. Wonnum (shoulder/knee) – WEDS: FP; THURS: LP
• QB Bryce Young (hamstring) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP

WEATHER FORECAST

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then partly cloudy. High of 77, low of 62, 47% chance of rain, 83% humidity, winds out of the SSW at 9 mph.

GAME REFEREE

Head referee: Clay Martin (10th season, 7th as referee)

BETTING LINE

• Favorite: Buccaneers (-8.0)
• Over/Under: 49.5

INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS IN 2024

Buccaneers-

Points Scored: K Chase McLauglin, 123

Touchdowns: WR Mike Evans 9/RB Rachaad White, 9

Passing Yards: QB Baker Mayfield, 3,920

Passer Rating: QB Baker Mayfield, 103.5

Rushing Yards: RB Bucky Irving, 920

Receptions: TE Cade Otton, 59

Receiving Yards: WR Mike Evans, 818

Interceptions: CB Zyon McCollum/S Tykee Smith, 2

Sacks: DL Calijah Kancey, 6.5

Tackles: LB Lavonte David, 112

Panthers-

Points Scored: K Eddy Pineiro, 89

Touchdowns: RB Chuba Hubbard, 11

Passing Yards: QB Bryce Young, 1,949

Passer Rating: QB Andy Dalton, 82.0

Rushing Yards: RB Chuba Hubbard, 1,195

Receptions: RB Chuba Hubbard, 43

Receiving Yards: WR Adam Thielen, 461

Interceptions: S Xavier Woods, 3

Sacks: DE A'Shawn Robinson, 5.5

Tackles: S Xavier Woods, 96

TEAM STAT RANKINGS IN 2024

Buccaneers-

Scoring Offense: 5th (28.5 ppg)

Total Offense: 3rd (389.8 ypg)

Rushing Offense: 7th (143.7 ypg)

Passing Offense: 3rd (246.1 ypg)

First Downs Per Game: 3rd (22.8)

Third-Down Pct.: 2nd (48.4%)

Sacks Per Pass Attempt Allowed: 19th (7.30%)

Red Zone TD Pct.: 5th (67.2%)

Scoring Defense: 22nd (23.5 ppg)

Total Defense: 25th (354.3 ypg)

Rushing Defense: 10th (104.0 ypg)

Passing Defense: 30th (250.3 ypg)

First Downs Allowed Per Game: t-23rd (20.3)

Third-Down Pct. Allowed: t-18th (39.9%)

Sacks Per Pass Attempt: 19th (6.96%)

Red Zone TD Pct. Allowed: 11th (53.7%)

Turnover Margin: t-20th (-4)

Panthers-

Scoring Offense: t-25th (18.9 ppg)

Total Offense: 30th (295.8 ypg)

Rushing Offense: 16th (112.3 ypg)

Passing Offense: 30th (183.5 ypg)

First Downs Per Game: 32nd (17.0)

Third-Down Pct.: 28th (35.3%)

Sacks Per Pass Attempt Allowed: 13th (6.40%)

Red Zone TD Pct.: 12th (58.1)

Scoring Defense: 32nd (29.9 ppg)

Total Defense: 31st (385.9 ypg)

Rushing Defense: 32nd (175.2 ypg)

Passing Defense: 10th (210.7 ypg)

First Downs Allowed Per Game: 32nd (23.5)

Third-Down Pct. Allowed: 32nd (47.7%)

Sacks Per Pass Attempt: 27th (6.30%)

Red Zone TD Pct. Allowed: 29th (65.1%)

Turnover Margin: 25th (-6)

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

• LB Lavonte David recorded 1.5 sacks against the Chargers in Week 15, pushing his career total to 39.0, which ties David Logan for sixth most in Buccaneers history. One more will give him sole possession of sixth place
• WR Mike Evans scored two touchdowns in the Bucs' win over the Chargers in Week 15, giving him 104 in his career, including 103 on receptions. One more score will put him into a tie with Hall of Famers Don Hutson and Tim Brown for the 21st most touchdowns in league annals.
• Evans also needs just three receptions on Sunday to get to 60 for the 11th time in as many NFL seasons. That would be the longest streak of 60-catch campaigns to start a career in league annals.
• QB Baker Mayfield already has seven games this season in which he has tossed three or more touchdown passes. One more such outing and he will tie Tom Brady (2021) for the most three-touchdown passing games in a single season in franchise history.
• TE Cade Otton has a team-leading 59 receptions in 2024. Four more would allow him to surpass Jackie Harris (62 in 1995) for the fourth most in a single season by a tight end in franchise history.
• RB Bucky Irving needs 80 rushing yards to become the first Buccaneer since Doug Martin in 2015 to record a 1,000-yard rushing season. That would also make him the first Tampa Bay rookie back to hit that mark since Martin in 2012.

NOTABLY QUOTABLE

• Head Coach Todd Bowles on the importance of fast starts in the NFL and the team's ability to come from behind: "Fast starts are a huge part, especially for us. We've got to get off to a fast start. I think we can come from behind, but when you get out and get a lead early and you're able to pad that lead, it helps you play a little better."
• Quarterback Baker Mayfield on if playing the Panthers only three weeks ago makes any difference: "Schematically, yeah. Sometimes when you play a team early in the year compared to – like our Saints game this year, we [played] them early, we play them [the] last game. Sometimes you can change schematically. When it's this quick of a turnaround in between games with division opponents, you really don't see that much – I mean there might be some personnel changes that could change some things but really, it's about the little details. It's kind of like a Thursday night week of who's going to execute better."
• Safety Jordan Whitehead on having to watch the Dallas game from the sideline when the Cowboys hit some deep completions: "You know, it's football. Guys are going to make plays on the other team. We're going to make plays, too. It came down, like most games do, to the last minute. It's football – you want to win them all. It's hard to lose those tough ones like that. But like I said, it's football. We've got two more to go. We needed that one for sure, but it's going to work out for us. Win these last two and we'll get in."
• Bowles on defensive lineman Vita Vea's performance this season and his third-down stop against the Cowboys: "I think it's probably the best year I've seen him have since I've been here, and this is my sixth year having him. From coming back in shape to playing hard every week to using his hands more and becoming more of an unstoppable force. He used to just use brute strength without using technique, and then he'd get stuck a few times, but right now, he's got the whole gamut working. He drops [into coverage] once or twice when we ask him to, he rushes the passer well when they single him, he plays the run, he causes havoc inside. Between all the records and everything, he's having a heck of a year."
• Mayfield on how the team gets past the feeling of no longer controlling their own playoff destiny: "From here on out, [it's] obviously not the scenario we want to be in but [we] still have to take care of business. Obviously, some things have to happen but if we don't take care of business – that's the mentality. It has to start there, and [we have] got to do our job, the little details and everything included in that to try and find a way to win."
• Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach Kacy Rodgers on safety Christian Izien being placed on Injured Reserve and how valuable he's been to the defense: "We were just talking about it in the hallway – you're talking about a guy that plays nickel, plays safety [and] if you remember early in the year, he finished a game at corner[back] so he wore a lot of hats for us. To lose him, we just have to somebody else step up but he has been invaluable for us – the things we asked him to do and the different complexity of our defense and he had three different spots. That's a lot."
• Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen: "I think Ryan Miller will step up into one of those roles there. Obviously, every time he's called upon, has made some plays and plays hard and does what we ask him to do…He's made some plays. You hope Kam Johnson continues to progress, hopefully. Then, those other guys: 'Rock' (Rakim Jarrett) and Trey [Palmer] – Trey made a big catch on the over route later in the game. Really, the core needs to continue to step up and help Mike [Evans] out in some ways, and they've done that. They've played better. We had a couple of balls hit our hands last week and didn't make those plays, which we need to make."