Panthers defense wants to quickly evaluate run defense breakdowns

That momentum built through the first half as the Bucs capitalized on multiple Panthers turnovers. By game’s end, they had 20 points off turnovers, plus two more off a blocked PAT. With that cushion, and in an effort to protect quarterback Baker Mayfield’s thumb, which was in a protective glove in his first action back since a Week 3 dislocation, Tampa Bay barely put the ball in the air all day.

“They threw the ball 11 times, think about that,” posed defensive lineman Bobby Brown III. “Seven completions, four of them were screens.”

Mayfield’s 11 passing attempts were the second-fewest by a Panthers opponent in team history, trailing only seven thrown by Chicago in a 2017 matchup.

Asked if the defense did enough to force Mayfield to throw with a hampered hand, Brown admitted, “I mean, no, because if we did, that wouldn’t be the result.”