The Carolina Panthers continue their homestand as they host NFC South foe Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium. The Panthers look to even their division record at .500 after splitting with the Saints in Weeks One and Nine, and falling to the Falcons in Week Six.
This will mark the 48th matchup between the two clubs, with the Panthers leading the series 25-22. The two last met in Week 18 of the 2023 season, an eventual 9-0 win for the Buccaneers.
The Panthers enter Week 13 with a 3-8 record after falling to the two-time defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs, 30-27. The Panthers overcame a 20-9 deficit to even the score in the fourth quarter, but a last-second field goal as time expired gave the Chiefs the victory.
The Buccaneers travel to ‘The Queen City’ following a 30-7 victory over the Giants in MetLife Stadium. Tampa enters the contest with a 5-6 record and is currently
second in the NFC South (1-2).
The Matchup
About Carolina
- The Panthers scored 27 points against the Chiefs in week 12, the second-most points they have allowed all season. The Chiefs entered the game ranked eighth in the league allowing 19.1 points per game.
- The Panthers defense recorded a season-high 5.0 sacks against the Chiefs. This was the most by the Panthers in a game since they also recorded 5.0 against the Falcons in Week 10 of the 2022 season. The Panthers 5.0 sacks were also the most by an opposing defense against the Chiefs this season.
- Against the Chiefs in Week 12, QB Bryce Young threw his fifth touchdown of the season, a one-yard pass to WR David Moore, capping a 15-play, 70-yard drive (8:34) in the second quarter. This marked his fourth consecutive week with a touchdown pass. Since returning as the team’s starter in Week 8 against the Broncos, Young has completed 76-of-123 passes (61.8%) for 784 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions, good for a 83.5 passer rating. He has also had seven completions of more than 25 yards, his most in a four-game stretch in his career.
- In Week 12 against the Chiefs, RB Chuba Hubbard finished the day with 16 carries for 58 yards and one touchdown.This marked his third game in a row with a rushing touchdown and fifth in a row with 50+ scrimmage yards. For the second-consecutive season, he eclipsed 1,000 scrimmage yards. This season, Hubbard ranks fifth in the NFL in rushing yards (876), tied for seventh in rushing first downs (45), tenth in carries (177), 11th in yards per carry (4.95), and tied for 12th in rushes of 10+ yards (20).
- K Eddy Piñeiro went a perfect four-for-four (30, 32, 29, 33) on field goals and one-for-one on PATs against Kansas City. On the season, he is 16-for-17 on field goals and 18-for-18 on PATs. Piñeiro now ranks third in franchise history in PATs (65). Piñeiro has now made 40-consecutive field goals at Bank of America Stadium, the second-longest streak in Panthers history behind Graham Gano’s 41-straight conversions (2016-18). It is also the longest active streak for a kicker in their home stadium in the NFL.
About Tampa Bay
- So far this season, 9-of-11 of Tampa Bay’s games have been against teams that currently sit at or above .500 on the season. Tampa Bay’s strength of victory (.571) and strength of schedule (.597) through Week 12 are both the highest in the NFL.
- Tampa Bay has amassed 300+ passing yards and 100+ rushing yards in a game four different times this season – the most-such games in the NFL. The Buccaneers also rank third in 30-point games this season (six), trailing only the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens.
- The Buccaneers have rushed for 100+ yards in 8-of-11 (72.7%) games this season after doing so in 9-of-34 (26.5%) games over the previous two seasons. When rushing for 100+ yards since 2022, Tampa Bay is 12-5 in those contests. Tampa Bay currently ranks fourth in the NFL in yards per rush (4.9) after finishing 32nd in that category in each of the previous two seasons. Tampa Bay’s 4.9 rushing yards per attempt this season is the team’s highest average through 11 games in team history.
- Entering Week 13, Baker Mayfield has the highest passer rating by a Tampa Bay quarterback through 11 games of any QB who has started at least eight of the team’s first 11 games (104.1). Mayfield is currently the only quarterback in the league with 20+ passing touchdowns and three-or-more rushing touchdowns this season.
Connections
Panthers K Eddy Piñeiro (Miami), S Sam Franklin Jr. (Iverness), LB Claudin Cherelus (Golden Gate), TE Feleipe Franks (Crawford) are all from Florida. President of Football Operations/General Manager Dan Morgan attended high school in Coral Springs, Fla. Piñeiro (2016-17), Franks (2017-19), and QBs Will Harriger (2012-13 GA) all spent time at the University of Florida while S Jammie Robinson (2021-22) attended Florida State. CB Mike Jackson (2015-18), OLB D.J. Johnson (2017), and Morgan (1997-2000) played at the University of Miami.
Buccaneers P Trenton Gill (Burlington), CB Tyrek Funderburk (Indian Trail), OLBs George Edwards (Siler City), and PGC Josh Grizzard (Zebulon) all grew up in North Carolina. Funderburk (2023) and Edwards (1992-95) both spent time at Appalachian State and C Graham Barton (2020-23), LS Evan Deckers (2022), Edwards (1985-89, 96), and Grizzard (2013-16 GA/QC) all played at or were on staff at Duke. Gill (2017-21) went to NC State and Oc Tom Moore (1969 OC) coached at Wake Forest. WRs Bryan McClendon (2016-19) spent time at the University of South Carolina while DT C.J. Brewer (2016-21) went to Coastal Carolina and WR Ryan Miller (2018-22) attended Furman.
Carolina vs Tampa Bay
All-Time Series (Regular Season): 47 matchups | Carolina leads 25-22
Last Regular Season Game: 1/7/24 | Tampa Bay 9 at Carolina 0
Series Record in Charlotte: 24 matchups | Carolina leads 13-11
How to Watch
Kickoff: 4:05 p.m. ET FOX: Play by Play – Chris Myers; Analyst – Mark Schlereth; Sideline – Jen Hale
Radio: WRFX 99.7FM in Charlotte market – Jim Szoke (Play by Play), Kurt Coleman (Color), Kevin Donnalley (Color), Sharon Thorsland (Sideline)
Per Release