The Tampa Bay Buccaneers produced the most one-sided win of NFL Week 7, routing the Carolina Panthers 43-13 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Sunday 25 October 2026, according to AP reporting and the Week 7 scoreboard. It was a return to remember for quarterback Baker Mayfield — and a day Carolina will want to forget quickly.
Mayfield had missed the previous three games with a dislocated right thumb, according to AP, and wore a protective glove on his throwing hand. Tampa Bay made sure he did not have to do it all himself. The Buccaneers ran the ball 49 times for 258 yards, led by Bucky Irving’s 106 yards and two touchdowns, and their defence forced four turnovers.
Defence sets the tone
The defining play came early. Tampa Bay opened with a 14-play touchdown drive behind Irving, then converted a muffed Panthers punt into a field goal. Consecutive sacks then ended with Calijah Kancey returning a fumble 32 yards for a touchdown, after Al-Quadin Muhammad’s strip-sack of Carolina quarterback Bryce Young, according to AP.
Young briefly answered with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Darren Waller, but Tampa Bay blocked the extra point and returned it for two points. The Buccaneers led 19-6, and from there Carolina never recovered control. By half-time, Tampa Bay led 33-6, with Mayfield attempting only nine passes.
Mayfield’s efficient return
Mayfield finished with just 11 pass attempts, completing seven for 64 yards and a touchdown, according to AP. “With all of these handoffs, I don’t know, my thumb might be pretty sore,” Mayfield joked afterwards. “He made the plays when we needed them,” said Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles. “He didn’t need to make many. When you have 49 runs, for a quarterback coming off an injury, that made the day easy for him.”
Young, the NFL’s leader in yards passing per game entering the weekend, was limited to 163 yards on 14-of-27 passing, with one touchdown, two interceptions and a lost fumble, according to AP. He was sacked five times. Sean Tucker added a late 46-yard touchdown run for Tampa Bay, and Kenny Gainwell contributed 88 rushing yards.
A badly needed win
The win improved Tampa Bay to 2-5, while Carolina fell to 3-3. For the Buccaneers, who had entered Sunday at 1-5 in some accounts of the week, it was a first NFC South win of the season and proof that their running game and defence can carry them while Mayfield regains full fitness. For Carolina, four turnovers, a missed extra point and a blocked kick told the story of a divisional game that slipped away in the second quarter and never came back.
