Looking at Sunday’s Week 7 matchup against the Panthers in Charlotte, this is a game that the Bucs should dominate.

But are they capable of blowing out this 1-5 Carolina team that has parted ways with its head coach, one of its top receivers and its dynamic, star running back over the last few weeks? Right now, it’s legitimately a question mark.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

Between the 2020 and 2021 seasons — the two years that Tampa Bay has had Tom Brady under center — there have been plenty of comfortable wins. The Bucs won 10 games by double-digits in their Super Bowl season, then won eight games by double-digits a year ago.

So far in 2020, even the Bucs’ wins haven’t come easy. Tampa Bay beat Dallas by 16 in Week 1, but plenty of points were still left on the field. A 10-point win over New Orleans was a struggle the whole way, and then the team’s six-point win over Atlanta in Week 5 was more difficult than it should’ve been.

That’s not even looking at the losses, either. The most egregious, of course, came last week. The Bucs should’ve beaten an undermanned and struggling Steelers team by multiple scores. Instead, they lost by two and fell to 3-3 on the season.

So, can the Bucs realistically take advantage of a Panthers team that is in full-on tank mode this Sunday? They better, or else things will get really dicey in Tampa.

Bucs’ Brady Era Full Of Blowout Wins Over Panthers

Tampa Bay has had a lot of success against Carolina since Brady arrived in 2020. The team has swept the season series over the last two years.

Bucs RB Leonard Fournette – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Brady’s first win as the Bucs quarterback came against the Panthers on Sept. 20, 2020. The Bucs took a 21-0 lead in the first half and went on to win 31-17. It was perhaps the least convincing of Tampa Bay’s wins over Carolina under Brady, but it was still a smooth ride much of the way. Brady finished 23-of-35 for 217 yards, a touchdown and an interception while Leonard Fournette ran for 103 yards and two scores on just 12 carries.

Later that season, the Bucs went to Bank of America Stadium and shredded the Panthers, winning 46-23. Brady threw for 341 yards and three scores and Ronald Jones II ran for 192 yards and a touchdown. The unique thing about that game is that it was knotted at 17-17 before the Bucs went on to outscore the Panthers 29-6 in the second half.

Last year, the dominance continued. Tampa Bay won the first meeting, 32-6, scoring the final 22 points after leading 10-6 in the second quarter. Ke’Shawn Vaughn had a 55-yard touchdown run and the defense rallied seven sacks in the win.

Bucs OLB Anthony Nelson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

To close out the 2021 regular season and extend their winning streak over the Panthers to four, the Bucs won 41-17. Brady once again topped 300 yards and threw for three touchdowns, Rob Gronkowski caught seven passes for 137 yards and Mike Evans caught two touchdowns. It was just a 24-17 lead for the home team at one point in the fourth quarter before it scored the final 17 points of the game.

So, will Sunday’s game in North Carolina follow a similar script to any of these games? Will Tampa Bay let Carolina hang around early and then run away with it? Or have the Bucs fallen far enough that they’ll have to scratch and claw for a narrow win?

Let’s hope for the sake of — well, anyone associated with the Bucs — that this turns into a comfortable, convincing victory before the schedule gets much tougher next Thursday.