CHARLOTTE — Now that it's July, we're officially in the ramp-up to training camp and the start of the 2025 season.
So now's a good time to catch up with the Panthers' opponents this year and see what they've done this offseason to impact this year's matchup.
We'll go through these in order, so stay tuned for our breakdowns of the whole schedule.
OPPONENT: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
All-time series: Panthers lead 25-24 overall (Panthers lead 13-12 in Charlotte, tied 12-12 in Tampa).
Last year: The Bucs needed every second to take a 26-23 win in Charlotte in Week 13. After Bryce Young hit Adam Thielen with what appeared to be a game-winning touchdown with 30 seconds left, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield drove them for a game-tying field goal. They then kicked a game-winner after a rare fumble from Chuba Hubbard in overtime.
The Bucs won 48-14 in Tampa in Week 17, gaining 551 yards and scoring on their first five possessions against an injury-depleted Panthers defense (which was starting its fifth and sixth different inside linebackers of the season). The Panthers were also without star cornerback Jaycee Horn. On the other hand, Thielen had five catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns, showing he can still get it done.
2024 rankings and results
Record: 10-7
Total offense: 3rd
Total defense: 18th
Personnel moves
Key additions in free agency: Re-signed Lavonte David and Chris Godwin. Signed OLB Haason Reddick, LB Anthony Walker, P Riley Dixon.
Key additions in the draft: WR Emeka Egbuka, CB Benjamin Morrison, CB Jacob Parrish, OLB David Walker.
Changes from last year: For the third year in a row, they'll have a different offensive coordinator, as Liam Coen got the head coach job in Jacksonville a year after Dave Canales parlayed a year in Tampa to the Panthers job. So good luck to first-time play-caller Josh Grizzard as he attempts to keep the streak alive.
The Bucs added yet another offensive weapon and a couple of needed cornerbacks in the draft, but the team atop the NFC South has become remarkably stable. They just extended coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht as a reward for winning their fourth straight NFC South title and making their fifth straight playoff appearance (the only team in the NFC to do so).
What to watch for in 2025: A couple of former Panthers are in key roles in Tampa and have shown they're capable of getting it done at a high level.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield, 30, threw 41 touchdowns last year against just 16 interceptions. After his partial year here in 2022, he's found stability (not to mention big-time weapons in receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and Bucky Irving in the backfield).
Former Panthers pass-rusher Haason Reddick had a lost season with the Jets (just 1.0 sack), but the 30-year-old is still very capable of changing a game at any moment. He had 50.5 sacks in his previous four seasons, including 11.0 for the Panthers in 2021.
Of course, the Panthers added in a major way on defense, and brought back the offensive line intact in an effort to get to the place the Bucs have been.
View all the action from the Panthers' game in Week 13 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
