Bucs RB Bucky Irving looks for repeat performance against Panthers struggling run defense

Carolina (4-11) at Tampa Bay (8-7)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, FOX.

BetMGM Odds: Buccaneers by 8.

Against the spread: Panthers 7-8, Buccaneers 9-6

Series record: Panthers lead 25-23.

Last meeting: Buccaneers beat Panthers 26-23 in OT on Dec. 1, 2024, in Carolina.

Last week: Panthers beat Cardinals 36-30 in OT; Buccaneers lost to Cowboys 26-24.

Panthers offense: overall (30), rush (16), pass (30), scoring (t-26)

Panthers defense: overall (31), rush (32), pass (10), scoring (32)

Buccaneers offense: overall (3), rush (7), pass (3), scoring (5)

Buccaneers defense: overall (25), rush (10), pass (30), scoring (22)

Turnover differential: Panthers minus-4, Buccaneers minus-6.

Panthers player to watch

RB Chuba Hubbard is coming off a big game, running for 152 yards and two touchdowns last week against the Arizona Cardinals, including a winning 21-yard touchdown in overtime. Hubbard gained a little redemption for his fumble in overtime against the Buccaneers that cost his team a loss on Dec. 1. Now he would like some redemption against the Bucs. Hubbard has 1,195 yards rushing this season, the fourth most in Carolina history and has 10 touchdowns on the ground.

Buccaneers players to watch

Former Panthers QB Baker Mayfield is 3-0 against his old team since joining the Bucs, however it hasn't been easy. Tampa Bay won two of the meetings by three points and settled for three field goals in a 9-0 victory that clinched the team's third straight NFC South title last season. The Bucs need a victory Sunday to maintain at least a share of first place in the division, although the Falcons (8-7) hold the tiebreaker after sweeping the season series between the teams. Mayfield has resurrected his career since leaving Carolina two years ago. He has thrown for a career-best 34 TDs this season and leads an offense that ranks third in yards per game and fifth in scoring.

Key matchup

Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving vs. Panthers defense. The previous time these two teams met four weeks ago, Irving ran for a career-high 152 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries as the Bucs racked up 239 yards on the ground on 39 carries. That has been the norm for the Panthers. In the past seven games, the Panthers have allowed nearly 200 yards rushing per game and rank last in the league in run defense. Irving ran for 68 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys last week.

Key injuries

The Panthers are hoping to get WR Xavier Legette back from an injury this week. Buccaneers S Antoine Winfield Jr (knee) has missed the past two games. The status TE Cade Otton (knee), LB K.J. Britt (ankle), and WR Sterling Shepard (hamstring/foot) is uncertain, too. S Christian Izien (pectoral) was placed on injured reserve on Thursday. S Jordan Whitehead (pectoral) began a 21-day practice window to return from IR and could be activated as early as this weekend.

Series notes

The Bucs have won eight of the past nine against the Panthers, including four straight. Mayfield is 3-0 vs. Carolina since being released by the Panthers and 4-0 against them all time.

Stats and stuff

The Panthers are 1-5 on the road under first-year head coach Dave Canales. ... QB Bryce Young ran for a career-high 68 yards rushing against the Cardinals, including a career-long run of 34 yards. ... Hubbard ranks sixth in the NFL in yards rushing coming into Week 17 and is also tied for sixth in rushing first downs (62) and tied for ninth in rushes of 10-plus yards (26). ... With his 11-yard reception in the second quarter against Dallas in Week 15, WR Adam Thielen surpassed 8,000 receiving yards. He became just the fourth undrafted player since 1967 with 8,000 yards receiving, joining Antonio Gates, Rod Smith and Wes Welker. ... The Buccaneers are 8-2 in December/January regular-season games going back to 2023. They're 20-6 in such games since 2020. ... Irving leads all NFL rookies in rushing (920 yards) and rushing TDs (seven). He's also first with 1,240 total yards from scrimmage. ... The Bucs are seventh in the league in rushing after finishing last each of the past two seasons. They've topped 100 yards in 12 of 15 games after doing so just nine times the previous two years combined. ... While poor tackling was a factor in last week's loss at Dallas, the Bucs defense has made strides the past month. Since the team's Week 11 bye, Tampa Bay has only allowed 284.2 yards and 17.2 points per game.

Fantasy tip

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans is closing in on his 11th consecutive season with 1,000-plus receiving yards. He's had some of the biggest games of his career against the Panthers. In 20 games vs. Carolina, Evans has 110 receptions for 1,598 yards and 12 touchdowns. He had eight catches for 118 yards and a TD in the first meeting this season.

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The Associated Press