Buccaneers Rout Panthers 43-13 in Mayfield's Return

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers crushed the Carolina Panthers 43-13 on Sunday, turning a divisional matchup into a statement win in Baker Mayfield's return. Mayfield attempted just 11 passes, but the Buccaneers didn't need much through the air—they controlled the game and handed Carolina its most lopsided loss of the season.

Our premium pick backed Carolina -2.5 and the moneyline, projecting a 27-21 Panthers win. Both calls missed badly. The spread lost by 30 points, and the moneyline was never close. The Over hit, but that's little consolation given the result.

The reasoning behind the pick centered on Bryce Young's league-leading passing attack and a Carolina offense that had been putting up points. Instead, the Panthers were turnover-prone and never found rhythm, while Tampa Bay's defense set the tone. The Buccaneers also extended their head-to-head dominance, improving to 9-2 in the last 11 meetings.

This one stings, but it's a reminder that divisional games can flip fast when a quarterback returns and a favorite gets comfortable. We'll weigh recent form and head-to-head trends more heavily going forward, especially when the market moves against a team with a lopsided series edge. Carolina still sits atop the NFC South, but Sunday showed the gap between record and reality can be wide.