Biggest takeaways from the Panthers' Week 18 loss to Buccaneers

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On Saturday, the Carolina Panthers fell short in their attempt to capture the NFC South for the first time in a decade. Some missed opportunities, and perhaps even more missed calls, cost the team in their painful 16-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While this defeat is deflating, the feeling of despair may end up be fleeting. There's still hope, and there are still some positives to grab from the heartbreaking outing.

Here are our biggest takeaways from the rough regular-season finale . . .

Dave Canales' inconsistencies pop up again

The up-and-down play-calling from head coach Dave Canales continued.

His major mistake came on the flea flicker early in the fourth quarter, which resulted in a slip and fumble by running back Rico Dowdle. Instead of allowing his offense to keep functioning through the red zone, he seemingly got too cute and aggressive in a situation that didn't need tricks.

Canales also couldn't get the run game going, another bugaboo during this season. The Panthers dialed up just 14 rushes for 19 yards.

Third-down defense fails when they needed it most

Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, in what may have been his final game for Carolina, saw his defense fail him on third-down situations.

The Panthers were routinely beat on scrambles by Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield, who scurried around for 31 yards on four rushes. Tampa finished having converted on eight of their 15 third-down looks.

Even though the defense has made a huge leap from their disastrous 2024, becoming a solid "bend, don't break" unit, they still have some room to grow.

Bad officiating hurts Panthers' chances

Pinning the outcomes of games on referees usually isn't sound analysis. But it's difficult to ignore how much the officiating, on numerous occasions, affected Carolina's chances.

Among the handful of questionable rulings, the refs blew an erroneous whistle on a backwards pass that cost the Panthers six yards, missed a clear personal foul on tight end Tommy Tremble and botched a pair of consequential pass interference calls—one of which erased a 31-yard gain by wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.

While the Panthers themselves whiffed on some chances, they certainly weren't helped by the stripes.

Bryce Young stands strong despite early mistakes

Quarterback Bryce Young stepped up in one of his better offerings of the season.

Despite his bad decision on an interception to rookie cornerback Jacob Parrish, Young was solid—completing 24 of his 35 throws for 266 yards and a pair of scores. He played with some freedom, ripping throws to all levels of the field and distributing the ball to nine different pass catchers.

Young still has limitations as a quarterback, and that's okay. Some may like him, others not so much.

But the former No. 1 overall pick has made progress this season, and he showed up with a fine performance in Carolina's biggest game in years.

A massive step forward for the franchise

Tempers and emotions may run high at the moment, but a step back and a deep breath should allow fans to appreciate the bigger picture.

Not many expected the Panthers to be competing, this deep into the regular season, for an NFC South title. Plus, the division can still be theirs, based off tomorrow's outcome between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints.

In the grand scheme of things, the team has taken a real step forward here in 2025. Their head coach has established a culture, their quarterback has shown improvement, they have a real No. 1 receiver and their defense has a much brighter future than it did a year ago.

Although moral victories may not matter to some, we can chalk up this campaign as a win for the Panthers—regardless of how much longer it goes.

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers vs. Buccaneers 2025: Biggest takeaways from the Week 18 loss

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