The Bucs came into Sunday’s game fresh off convincingly reentering the win column. There was a lot of hope they would pull off two wins in a row heading into Carolina to face a 3-8 Panthers team.

With Carolina having played their best football over the last few weeks, it was a true back-and-forth, nail-biting battle between Dave Canales and Todd Bowles that went to overtime. Pewter Report’s Josh Quiepo summed up how this game went to a tee.

Somehow, someway, the Bucs pulled off a 26-23 win over the Panthers in a game that could have gone either way. It should not have been that close, and there is plenty that the team will look to clean up before its Week 14 matchup against the Raiders.

Here’s what was most disappointing from the narrow win:

HC Todd Bowles First-Half Defensive Gameplan

The fact that the 3-8 Panthers hung around against a team looking to stay in the playoff hunt speaks to the defensive issues that have plagued the Bucs this season. Todd Bowles and his defensive gameplan had its warts against Dave Canales’ squad.

In the first half alone, Byrce Young was 14-of-18 for 167 passing yards against zone coverage. Young went on to have the second-most passing yards in a game (298) in his young career.

A theme of the first half was continually playing cornerbacks off Carolina’s wide receivers, which was inexcusable on Bowles’ part. It allowed Young to get into a rhythm and move the ball downfield without doing anything groundbreaking. The small quarterback stood tall in the pocket to make clean throws to his wide-open weapons.

Things were cleaned up some in the second half, but it should have happened a lot sooner to prevent the contest from coming down to the wire.

A Lot Of Pressure, But Only 1 Sack?

Panthers QB Bryce Young and Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs’ pass rush was able to apply pressure, but they failed to bring down Bryce Young as much as they should have. There were plenty of chances, but Young was able to avoid would-be sacks throughout the game.

Yaya Diaby had a chance to have a multi-sack game. Instead, his only takedown resulted in a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty. Having 11 quarterback hits and just one sack will not cut it.

Bowles mentioned to the Fox sideline reporter at halftime that the outside pass rush had “no lane integrity.” That has to change down the stretch.

P Trenton Gill

The Bucs already replaced one punter this season, and one has to wonder how much of a leash Trenton Gill will have for the rest of the season. Gill rebounded on his punts later in the game, but there is no excusing his third punt. It was a 22-yard shank that gave the Panthers’ offense extremely favorable field position.

The result?

It took them only four plays to go 36 yards for a touchdown.

In the fourth quarter, he was then penalized for kicking the ball short of the landing zone, giving the Panthers a shorter field as they began their late-game drive on their own 40-yard line. It would end up biting them as Bryce Young orchestrated a go-ahead touchdown drive with less than a minute to go.

Panthers QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

QB Baker Mayfield

Coming off one of his better games this season, Baker Mayfield regressed in this one. Mayfield was inaccurate in the first half, completing only 7 of his 16 passes for 96 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception.

After playing hero ball and finding Cade Otton during the team’s first-half two-minute drill, he made a poor decision to throw Otton’s way on the next play.

The veteran quarterback took too long to make the read to his tight end, and when he finally threw it, it ended up in the hands of Chau Smith-Wade.

With how the Bucs’ defense has played this season, it’s up to Mayfield to execute, lead the offense and continue to put up points every week. He forced the issue with too many passes and his decision-making allowed the Panthers to take advantage. He would get injured in the third quarter, missing two plays while Kyle Trask took over.

Never one to miss much time, Mayfield returned to throw an interception on his first play. The offense relied mostly on its running backs the rest of the way, although he did make some clutch throws playing in pain. Overall though, it was a disappointing performance from someone who had been so efficient coming in.

Penalties – Especially Pre-Snap

Plenty of yellow flags were thrown on the field, but what cost the Bucs in this one were the ones thrown before plays began. The offense was called for three false starts alone, with Jalen McMillan, Sterling Shepard, and Cade Otton each called for one.

Coming in as one of the least-penalized teams in the league, Tampa Bay was called for seven penalties for 54 yards. The lack of discipline and being on the same page was disappointing and presented an obstacle on multiple offensive drives.

NCB Christian Izien

Christian Izien has been impressive this season, filling in across the secondary when injuries have arisen. On Sunday evening though, Izien was the weakest link.

He gave up a big play in the first quarter, missing an open-field tackle on rookie Jonathan Brooks, who sped away for an 18-yard gain. Then in the second quarter, he was too late to react to Tommy Tremble down the right sideline, as he capitalized for a 38-yard catch and run.

Normally a sure tackler, the young defensive back only had two tackles and failed to contribute when the defense needed him to without Jordan Whitehead, Tykee Smith, and later Mike Edwards.