Carolina
Panthers
5-5
14
FINAL
47
Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
7-3
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers decisively defeated the Carolina Panthers 47-14 in Week 12 of the 2026 season, solidifying their position in the playoff race. With this commanding victory, the Buccaneers showcased their offensive prowess while the Panthers struggled to keep pace, ultimately falling further behind in the standings.
Baker Mayfield was nothing short of spectacular, throwing for 440 yards and four touchdowns while also contributing 63 rushing yards. His performance was a key factor in the Buccaneers' dominant offensive display, consistently moving the chains and finding open receivers. Xavier Legette stood out for the Panthers, amassing 169 receiving yards, but it was not enough to bridge the gap.
Defensively, the Buccaneers were relentless, with Rueben Bain Jr. recording three sacks to disrupt the Panthers' rhythm. Jacob Parrish led the team with eight total tackles, ensuring that Carolina's offensive opportunities were limited. The turning point came early in the second half when Tampa Bay scored two quick touchdowns, effectively putting the game out of reach and sealing their victory.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 47 | 24 | 51% | 440 | 4 | 3 | 85.4 |
| Bryce Young | QB | 31 | 13 | 42% | 270 | 2 | 4 | 55.2 |
| Haynes King | QB | 1 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.5 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 6 | 63 | 10.5 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 0 |
| Trevor Etienne | HB | 8 | 27 | 3.4 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 7 | 26 | 3.7 | 10 | 1 | 22 | 0 |
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jalin Hyatt | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Whyle | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xavier Legette | WR | 3 | 169 | 56.3 | 80 | 2 | 100 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 9 | 163 | 18.1 | 84 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| Jalin Hyatt | WR | 3 | 104 | 34.7 | 14 | 2 | 42 | 0 |
| Ted Hurst III | WR | 4 | 79 | 19.8 | 7 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 5 | 55 | 11.0 | 31 | 1 | 18 | 0 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | 4 | 43 | 10.8 | 4 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| Josh Whyle | TE | 3 | 39 | 13.0 | 10 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Darren Waller | TE | 1 | 31 | 31.0 | 10 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| Chris Brazzell II | WR | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 16 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Devin Duvernay | WR | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Scott | SS | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Parrish | CB | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Rueben Bain Jr. | LEDG | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| L'Jarius Sneed | CB | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Josiah Trotter | MIKE | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Jaycee Horn | CB | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tykee Smith | SS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Claudin Cherelus | SAM | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yaya Diaby | REDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr | FS | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaelan Phillips | REDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lee Hunter | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Okereke | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keionte Scott | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kader Kohou | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Vita Vea | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tre'von Moehrig | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tershawn Wharton | DT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Fitzgerald | K | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 1 | 1 | 6 | 27 |

