With their season on the line, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to walk into Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and walk out with a victory over the Carolina Panthers. 

The Bucs are three-point underdogs against the Panthers so they must earn their second road upset of the season in order to keep their hopes alive for another week. 

In Week 5, Tampa was a 9.5-point underdog against the Dallas Cowboys. The Bucs went into Dallas 0-4, with their season hanging by a thread, and played their best game of the year. 

Now, they need the same outcome on Sunday. 

The Bucs are getting a big boost with the return of starting quarterback Baker Mayfield. 

Mayfield’s return couldn’t come at a better time. Against Carolina, the Bucs will need their franchise quarterback to play at a high level. 

The first of my keys to a Bucs’ victory was that Tampa has to get Mayfield’s into an early rhythm to knock off any potential rust and help him gain confidence that his injured thumb is ready to go. 

Mayfield struggled in Tampa’s first three games, but is by far the Bucs’ best chance to beat the Panthers. 

Carolina’s passing game has been the NFL’s best this season, averaging a whopping 295.6 yards per game. However, the Bucs’ secondary has played very well. Cornerbacks Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish have both been excellent for Tampa. 

Now they must find a way to slow down the connection between Panthers’ QB Bryce Young and WR Tetairoa McMillan. 

Carolina’s rushing attack has been middle-of-the-pack, averaging 108.8 yards per game. However, running back Chuba Hubbard has been great, already rushing for 426 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 4.8 yards per carry. 

Tampa’s run defense has been especially impressive, giving up only 75.5 yards per game, second-fewest in the NFL. If the Bucs can stop Hubbard on Sunday and continue to show an improved pass rush after notching five sacks last week, they will have an excellent chance to stifle a terrific offense.

On offense, the Bucs should be able to exploit Carolina’s 27th-ranked run defense. The Panthers give up 132.2 yards per game on the ground. 

Running back Bucky Irving has been the best player on Tampa’s offense. If he can have a game like the one he had against Dallas, the offense will be able to move the ball and control the clock. 

Carolina also gives up 222 yards per game through the air, which is only 18th in the league. 

The Bucs will be without top WR Emeka Egbuka against the Panthers, so Chris Godwin Jr. and rookie Ted Hurst must step up for Tampa to have a balanced attack. 

Both the Bucs and Panthers have registered 11 sacks this season, with Carolina playing one fewer game. 

The Panthers are an impressive plus-3 in turnover differential this season, while the Bucs are a minus-3. As always, whoever wins the turnover battle will have a tremendous advantage. 

The weather in Charlotte should be a beautiful fall day, with plenty of sun and a high of 67 degrees. 

The game has the makings of a mild shootout, which would seem to favor Carolina. 

However, these are the types of games that the Bucs expect Mayfield to win after giving him a huge contract extension right before the season. 

With Tampa’s season on the line, I expect Mayfield to prove his worth and lead his team to a win the Bucs absolutely must have. 

Prediction: Bucs 31, Panthers 27