The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did what they needed to on Sunday, even though it wasn't necessarily easy. Hosting the Arizona Cardinals, the Buccaneers picked up the 20-17 victory. It was far from a pretty win, but they did see Bucky Irving score a touchdown in his first game back from injury, and offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs recording a receiving touchdown.
The Buccaneers may be 7-5, but a division rival is sneaking up behind them in the Carolina Panthers. Sure, the Panthers have been an inconsistent team, but they just secured a huge upset win over the Los Angeles Rams. With that, they are 7-6 on the season.
Even though the Panthers are inconsistent, head coach Dave Canales decided to poke the bear a bit. After the game, Canales revealed he told the Panthers "we've seen the Rams' best football. They haven't seen ours yet."
Canales told team: We’ve seen the Rams best football. They haven’t seen ours yet.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) November 30, 2025
Dave Canales' post-victory comments could backfire and benefit Buccaneers
That's all well and good for the Panthers. Take the victory lap when you can, especially over a team that is considered a favorite to win the Super Bowl this season. But this has the chance to backfire, especially during the final stretch of the season.
Canales is a familiar name for the Buccaneers, as he was the offensive coordinator for the team in 2023. After just one lone year with the team, Canales left to become the head coach for the Panthers.
The Panthers have themselves set up in perfect position. They have seven wins, as do the Buccaneers. Both teams face off in Weeks 16 and 18, and it very well could determine who wins the NFC South and secure a top four seed in the conference. That is a prime opportunity for the Panthers to have repeat performances like they had against the Rams. Or, if they'll put up putrid showings, as they did last Monday against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Buccaneers have an incredibly favorable schedule for their final five games of the season. Besides facing the Panthers twice, the Buccaneers face the Atlanta Falcons, who lost to the New York Jets on a walk-off field goal on Sunday, the New Orleans Saints, who are 2-10 on the year, and the Miami Dolphins, who nearly lost to the Saints on Sunday. The division is there for the taking.
Carolina can enjoy the victory, but their biggest games in quite some time will come against the Buccaneers, who won the division the previous four seasons.