The Carolina Panthers are riding a wave of momentum after a hard-fought 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 21, 2025, at Bank of America Stadium. With the win, the Panthers have positioned themselves at the top of the NFC South and now stand just one step away from clinching their first division title in a decade. But as head coach Dave Canales made clear, the journey is far from over, and the focus remains squarely on what lies ahead.
"We can't approach it that way. We have to make sure, especially for us . . . as we're trying to create consistency in our product of what we do on the field, game in and game out, that's what we're after. And that's what's out there for us, to find our best football. We have to approach it that way," Canales told reporters on Monday, reflecting on the team's mindset heading into a pivotal Week 17 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. The Panthers' fate isn't entirely in their own hands—they need to beat the Seahawks and hope the Buccaneers fall to the Miami Dolphins—but Canales is adamant: scoreboard-watching is off the table.
The Panthers' defensive unit embodied that laser focus against Tampa Bay, absorbing early blows and responding with resilience. Cornerback Mike Jackson, who has been a revelation this season, summed up the mentality perfectly: "It's almost like boxing. You get hit in the mouth. To throw a punch, you got to be able to take a punch." Jackson certainly took his share of punches, targeted eight times and surrendering four receptions—including a 1-yard touchdown to Mike Evans. But he bounced back with three passes defended, leading both teams and bringing his season total to a league-leading 17.
Jackson's attitude set the tone for a defense that refused to flinch, even as Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers' offense controlled the clock early with two long drives and 10 quick points. "Back home, we got a saying, 'My heart don't pump Kool-Aid,'" Jackson quipped, underscoring the toughness that has come to define this Panthers squad. He added, "So he had the first touchdown, and at that moment it's like, all right, you find out a lot about yourself, so just don't flinch."
After a week where the defense faltered late against the Saints, the Panthers knew they had to deliver when it mattered most. Defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson captured the team's mindset: "Our mindset the whole week is, we all know what this game meant. We know this is a win-or-go-home, so we kept that mentality the whole week."
The defense bent but rarely broke. Mayfield, who had his full arsenal of weapons, managed just 145 passing yards—his second-lowest output of the season—along with one touchdown and one interception. He did some damage on the ground, scrambling four times for 49 yards, but the Panthers largely contained the Bucs' rushing attack. Rachaad White broke off a 39-yard run but was otherwise bottled up, and Bucky Irving was held to 71 yards on 19 carries, an average of just 3.7 yards per rush.
Safety Nick Scott, who led the team with 10 tackles, pointed to communication as the key to the defensive turnaround. "We were just talking and being on the same page, you know, I was just reminding the guys not to get bored with talking and talking and tackling," Scott said. "We kind of saw what game it was going to be. They wanted to keep the ball on the ground and try to control the game and everything like that. And so we just wanted to make the plays we were supposed to make and then turn it into a game where they had to throw the ball where we felt like we had an advantage. These are playoff games now, point-blank period."
The game's turning point came late in the fourth quarter. With the score tied at 20 and the Bucs threatening, the Panthers' defense stood tall. A big 40-yard pass from Mayfield to Emeka Egbuka put Tampa Bay in striking distance, but the Panthers responded with a tackle-for-loss, a pass breakup, a sack (credited to Derrick Brown), and a quarterback hurry that forced a punt. That stop set up the Panthers' go-ahead field goal and put the game in the hands of the defense one final time.
The Bucs got the ball back with 2:20 left, needing to go 90 yards for a touchdown. Mayfield scrambled for another chunk of yards, but the Panthers' defense dug in. Rookie Lathan Ransom delivered the decisive blow, intercepting Mayfield and effectively sealing the win for Carolina. "Finish, capitalize on opportunity. They're going to give us opportunities and give us chances to make sure we do that," Robinson said about the defense's mindset in the game's waning moments.
The Panthers' youth movement was on full display. In addition to Ransom's game-clinching pick, rookie Nic Scourton recorded four tackles, including one for loss, while Derrick Brown added a crucial sack late. Brown, a vocal leader on the defense, has been preaching grit all season: "I think it's just the grit, man, the grit. I mean, no matter what happens, we just keep going. And I think, just from day one, that's been the message, like just keep going. Everything's not going to always happen your way, but you know, stay in the fight and keep going."
The victory over Tampa Bay was not just a testament to the Panthers' resolve but also a statement to the rest of the NFC. After knocking off conference heavyweights like the Packers and Rams earlier in the year, and now sweeping the Falcons and beating the Bucs in a crucial head-to-head, Carolina has shown they can go toe-to-toe with anyone. But as Brown and Canales both stressed, the job isn't finished. The Panthers must win at least one more game—either in Week 17 against the Seahawks or in the Week 18 rematch with the Bucs—to lock up the division crown. Of course, a little help from the Dolphins would make things easier, but the Panthers aren't counting on favors.
"It's very special," Brown admitted of the team's position atop the NFC South, "but if we want to get to where we're going, it's got to be, it's the same attitude, man. We've got to show up and go back to work tomorrow."
With the Seahawks coming to town as the NFC's No. 1 seed, the challenge only gets steeper. But if these Panthers have proven anything this season, it's that they're ready for a fight—no matter who they're facing. The division title is within reach, but the work is far from done. For Carolina, the only scoreboard that matters is their own.