Baker Mayfield needs only 11 throws in his return as the Buccaneers rout the Panthers 43-13, and says Tampa Bay knows its recipe now

Baker Mayfield came back from three missed games on Sunday and found that the Buccaneers barely needed his right arm, completing 7 of 11 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown as Tampa Bay buried the Panthers 43-13 at Bank of America Stadium.

The quarterback played with a custom protective glove over the thumb he hurt earlier this month, and the game plan treated him carefully. By the time Tampa Bay led 17-0 in the first quarter, the ground game and the defense had already taken over, and the halftime score of 33-6 left little reason to put the ball in the air.

Afterward, Mayfield framed the afternoon as proof that a 2-5 team had finally pulled in one direction. He said the group had been working on learning to play as one unit and that a win like this one gives the players something to build on. “We know what the recipe is for us,” he said.

"We've been working on how to play together, how to come together, so to see it come together in a win like this, guys can continue to build on that. We know what the recipe is for us." – Baker Mayfield 👏

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 25, 2026

What the recipe looked like

Mayfield’s only scoring throw was a 14-yard strike to Tez Johnson. Most of the work came behind him. Tampa Bay ran 49 times for 258 yards, and three backs went past 50: Bucky Irving carried 24 times for 106 yards and two touchdowns, Kenneth Gainwell added 88 yards on 14 carries, and Sean Tucker broke a 46-yard touchdown run on the way to 52 yards on seven attempts.

Baker Mayfield throws TD 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣

📺: #TBvsCAR on FOX pic.twitter.com/h5leMI172I

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 25, 2026

The defense supplied the rest. Carolina gave the ball away four times, and Tampa Bay turned those mistakes into 20 points. Bryce Young threw two interceptions, one of them to Zyon McCollum, and lost a fumble when Al-Quadin Muhammad stripped him; Calijah Kancey scooped it up and ran 32 yards for a touchdown. Yaya Diaby finished with three sacks. A muffed punt by David Moore, recovered by Ko Kieft at the Carolina 18, set up more points, and when Tykee Smith blocked an extra point, McCollum carried it the length of the field for the first defensive two-point conversion anywhere in the league this season.

Carolina’s touchdowns came on a 50-yard pass from Young to Darren Waller and a late run by Anthony Tyus III.

Why the return matters for Tampa Bay

Even with the win the Buccaneers are only 2-5, so Sunday was less about Mayfield’s numbers than about the shape of the team around him. With Emeka Egbuka, Luke Goedeke and Antoine Winfield Jr. all inactive, Tampa Bay won by 30 points without leaning on its quarterback, which is the formula Mayfield was describing. Carolina falls to 3-3.

The full result and scoring are in the Game Center.

What comes next

The Atlanta Falcons visit Raymond James Stadium next, with kickoff at 1:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, November 1. Carolina has a short week, visiting the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, October 29, at 8:15 p.m. EDT.