The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended their 2025 season with a 16-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers, but it was not enough to claim the NFC South title. This result brought an end to the Buccaneers’ run of four consecutive division championships and five straight playoff appearances, both of which were franchise records.
Linebacker Lavonte David may have played his final game after 14 seasons, though he has not yet decided whether to return for another year. Head Coach Todd Bowles said David “went out in true Lavonte fashion.” In Saturday’s game, David led the team with six tackles and recovered a fumble. This marked his 21st career fumble recovery, setting a franchise record and ranking second among all NFL players since 1991. With 14 career interceptions as well, David now has 35 total takeaways. He joins Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher as the only NFL players since at least 1982 with more than 40 sacks and more than 35 takeaways.
David’s six tackles against Carolina brought his season total to a team-leading 114 stops and pushed his career tally to 1,714 tackles, according to StatsPass. This figure ties him with Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks for the most in franchise history and sixth-most in NFL history by that metric.
His fumble recoveries lead all active NFL players by a significant margin; T.J. Watt is next on the list with 14.
The Buccaneers’ defense held Carolina to just 19 rushing yards on 14 attempts—the fewest allowed by Tampa Bay since holding New England to minus one yard in October 2001. The Panthers averaged only 1.36 yards per carry, marking the second-lowest single-game opponent average this season behind Pittsburgh’s performance against Detroit.
On offense, Tampa Bay gained 140 rushing yards for a plus-121 yardage differential—their best margin of the season. Running back Bucky Irving set a personal best with 26 carries for 85 yards and finished as the team’s leading rusher despite missing seven games due to injury.
Sean Tucker led the team in total touchdowns (eight) and rushing touchdowns (seven), becoming the first player in franchise history to score seven rushing touchdowns on fewer than 100 carries.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 16 of his 22 passes for 203 yards, one touchdown, and one interception against Carolina. He ended the season with 3,755 passing yards and became—alongside Tom Brady—one of only two quarterbacks in franchise history with three seasons of at least 25 touchdown passes. Mayfield also ran for a career-high total of 382 yards this year.
Rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka caught one pass for eight yards in the finale but finished fourth all-time among Buccaneer rookies for receiving yards in a season with 938.
Tight end Cade Otton had seven catches for a season-high 94 yards and scored his first touchdown of the year on Saturday. Otton’s four-year total stands at over 2,000 receiving yards—a milestone reached by only four other tight ends in team history.
Kicker Chase McLaughlin contributed three field goals (from distances of 29, 36, and 48 yards) and an extra point for ten points total before having another attempt blocked late in the game. His career points with Tampa Bay now stand at eighth place on their all-time scoring list after surpassing Ryan Succop.
After Carolina closed within two points late in Saturday’s contest, Tampa Bay maintained possession through key plays from Mayfield—including a third-down conversion—and sealed victory when time expired following a failed last-second play by Carolina.
This win marked Tampa Bay’s sixth straight game decided by four or fewer points—a new single-season record for such close contests within the franchise—and their ninth game decided by three points or fewer this year; they posted a winning record (6-3) in those games.
