By admin 
Sunday’s trip to Charlotte is the first NFC South game on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ schedule, and it comes with almost no room left for error. Three days removed from a 26-19 overtime loss in which they carried a 16-3 lead into the fourth quarter against Pittsburgh, the Bucs trail the 3-2 Carolina Panthers by 2½ games.
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“I mean, it’s critical,” Todd Bowles said of the Week 7 game, per the team’s website. “It’s a step to trying to get back in it. The guys that you’ve got to play are ahead of you right now, so it’s going to be critical that we win these games.” Three problems from the Steelers loss stand between Tampa Bay and a win at Bank of America Stadium.
The pass protection is on a franchise-record pace
Tampa Bay has allowed 22 sacks through six games. Baker Mayfield took 13 in his three starts and Jalon Daniels has taken nine in his three, which puts the Bucs on pace for 62. That would top the franchise’s worst season total of 56. The sacks have followed both quarterbacks, so Mayfield’s return from a dislocated right thumb won’t settle this by itself. Bowles said he’d know more after Wednesday’s practice.
Pittsburgh ended Sunday’s game by sending Jalen Ramsey, who came free off the edge on fourth-and-8 in overtime. “The last play of the game, they ended up bringing a nickel pressure off the edge,” Daniels said after the loss. The rookie averages 3.09 seconds to throw, and his 23.1% pressure-to-sack rate ranks 31st among 35 qualified quarterbacks, according to PFF. Carolina just hit Eagles backup Tanner McKee 10 times, its most quarterback hits since 2022.
Bucky Irving has to get the offense out of second-and-long
Bucky Irving went from a career-high 165 rushing yards in Dallas to 46 yards on 19 carries against the Steelers. Bowles connected that drop to everything else that stalled.
“It was a tough front,” Bowles said, according to the team. “We got some tough runs in there, but the rhythm that [Irving] had last week probably wasn’t there, getting us into some second-and-longs and taking us out of a few things.” Tampa Bay went 6 of 19 on third down, and we wrote that Zac Robinson’s second-half play calling cost the Bucs as much as Daniels did.
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Carolina is the right opponent for a reset. The Panthers allow 132.2 rushing yards per game, 27th in the NFL, and a league-worst 5.12 yards per carry, and Irving has averaged 136.0 yards from scrimmage in his four games against them, per the Bucs’ numbers.
The defense has to get off the field after halftime
Opponents have converted just 22.2% of their first-half third downs against Tampa Bay this season. After halftime, that number jumps to 46.3%. Pittsburgh went 2 of 9 on third down through three quarters Sunday, then 3 of 6 in the fourth quarter and overtime, with all three conversions needing 10 or more yards. That split is a big reason the Bucs keep losing in the fourth quarter.
Bryce Young makes it a bigger problem. Carolina’s quarterback leads the NFL at 309.8 passing yards per game with 11 touchdown passes and two interceptions, up from 180.2 yards per game over his first three seasons. Aaron Rodgers erased a 13-point deficit with four fourth-quarter scoring drives Sunday, and Young will get the same chances if that third-down split holds.
“We’ve got no margin for error,” Bowles said after Sunday’s game. Fixing all three in one week is a lot to ask of a 1-5 team. Fixing none of them would add to the questions about his job security, with Atlanta coming to Raymond James Stadium a week later.
More on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Packers Linked to 10-Year Veteran WR With Three 1,000-Yard Seasons Ahead of the Deadline
- Zac Robinson’s Second-Half Play Calling Cost the Bucs as Much as Jalon Daniels Did vs. Steelers
- Bucs Slip Back in NFL Power Rankings After Blowing a 16-3 Lead to the Steelers
- Buccaneers Snap Counts Show Bucky Irving Taking Kenneth Gainwell’s Passing-Down Snaps
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This story was originally published October 21, 2026 at 5:00 AM.