South Charlotte Today

The Carolina Panthers experienced a narrow 26-23 overtime defeat against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The game was marked by missed opportunities, as described by coaches Dave Canales and Ron Rivera.

Despite an impressive drive by Bryce Young, culminating in a touchdown pass to Adam Thielen, the Buccaneers responded with Baker Mayfield leading a drive that resulted in a 51-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin. This forced the game into overtime for the Panthers, their second such instance in three games.

In overtime, after McLaughlin missed a 55-yard attempt, Anthony Nelson of the Buccaneers recovered a fumble from Chuba Hubbard. McLaughlin capitalized on this chance, sealing the victory for Tampa Bay.

Defensively, the Panthers had early success against their former quarterback Mayfield, sacking him four times and intercepting twice. Chau Smith-Wade and Xavier Woods were responsible for these interceptions. However, they struggled against the run, conceding 236 rushing yards to Tampa Bay's offense.

Eddy Piñeiro made history with his 41st consecutive field goal at home but subsequently missed two attempts. These misses affected his standing on the league's all-time accuracy list.

The Panthers faced challenges with injuries during the game. Umpire Carl Paganelli was injured and did not return, leaving officials short-handed. Tight end Stephen Sullivan also exited due to a knee injury.

As they look ahead to facing Saquon Barkley and the Eagles next week, addressing run defense issues will be crucial for Carolina.