CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wanted to make sure not to put too much on Baker Mayfield's plate with their quarterback still healing from a dislocated thumb and wearing a protective glove on his throwing hand.
The Bucs' offensive line and defense took care of that.
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Carolina Panthers' Brycen Tremayne (87) drops the ball in front of Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Zyon McCollum (27) during the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Zyon McCollum (27) intercepts a pass to Carolina Panthers' Jalen Coker (18) during the first half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)
Carolina Panthers' Bobby Brown III (97) tackles Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Bucky Irving (7) during the first half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Zyon McCollum (27) celebrates an interception with teammates during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey (94) returns a fumble for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) celebrates his touchdown catch during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws a touchdown pass over Carolina Panthers' Tre'von Moehrig (7) during the first half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell (1) runs past Carolina Panthers' Zakee Wheatley (20) during the first half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Bucky Irving ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns as the Bucs racked up 258 yards on the ground on 49 carries, and Tampa Bay's defense forced four turnovers in Sunday's 43-13 rout of the division rival Carolina Panthers.
“With all of these handoffs, I don't know, my thumb might be pretty sore,” Mayfield said.
Mayfield, who had missed the previous three games, finished with just 11 pass attempts in a game the Bucs led 33-6 at halftime following a series of Carolina blunders. He had seven completions for 64 yards and a touchdown, and that was plenty for him to improve to 7-1 against the Panthers, including 6-1 since joining the Bucs (2-5).
“He made the plays when we needed them,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. “He didn't need to make many. When you have 49 runs, for a quarterback coming off an injury, that made the day easy for him.”
There was nothing easy about the day for Carolina's Bryce Young.
Young was sacked five times and the NFL's leader in yards passing per game was limited to 163 yards on 14-of-27 passing. He had one touchdown pass but threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Tampa Bay's Calijah Kancey turned Al-Quadin Muhammad's strip-sack of Young into a 32-yard touchdown return.
Tampa Bay's special teams chipped in, too.
The Bucs recovered a muffed punt by David Moore and blocked an extra point and returned it for 2 points.
“Just really disappointing,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said. “Turnovers really in every phase. A sack-fumble on a protection issue, a dropped punt led to points, the blocked kick. ... It really combined to put us in a really big hole.”
Young took blame for the three turnovers, saying, “I can’t turn the ball like that. It hurts the team and that’s on me.”
Tampa Bay won the coin toss and elected to receive. The Bucs proceeded to march 70 yards in 14 plays, with Irving scoring on a 4-yard touchdown run.
They didn't let up after that, scoring on five of their next seven possessions.
“We took the ball and just wanted to set the tone early,” Mayfield said. “It wouldn't have mattered though, as I think the defense would have set the tone regardless.”
Even when things appeared to be going right for the Panthers (3-3), something immediately went wrong.
After Young found a streaking Darren Waller down the middle of the field for a 50-yard touchdown to cut Tampa Bay's lead to 17-6, the Bucs blocked the ensuing extra point and Zyon McCollum returned it 70 yards to the end zone. As a result, the Panthers netted just four points on the TD.
YaYa Diaby had three of Tampa Bay's five sacks.
“It's just that we know this offense so well,” Diaby said. “They know us and we know them. So we just came with a game plan and attacked. ... We just got after Bryce and tried to take away his first read and just be aggressive.”
The Bucs had played 12 straight one-score games dating to last season before Sunday.
When asked where this type of game has been, Bowles replied, “I wish I had an answer for that, but it was very welcome.”
The Panthers honored Luke Kuechly at halftime as the former middle linebacker received his Hall of Fame ring as part of a busy afternoon. Kuechly also hit the “Keep Pounding” drum before the game and served as a broadcaster for the Panthers' radio network.
Tampa Bay: RB Kenny Gainwell briefly left with a hip injury in the second half but returned. He finished with 14 carries for 88 yards.
Carolina: RT Taylor Moton, who missed the first four games of the season with blood clots in his lung, was carted off the field in the third quarter with a left ankle/fibula injury and did not return.
Tampa Bay: Host Atlanta on Sunday.
Carolina: At Green Bay on Thursday night.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
Carolina Panthers' Brycen Tremayne (87) drops the ball in front of Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Zyon McCollum (27) during the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Zyon McCollum (27) intercepts a pass to Carolina Panthers' Jalen Coker (18) during the first half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)
Carolina Panthers' Bobby Brown III (97) tackles Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Bucky Irving (7) during the first half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Zyon McCollum (27) celebrates an interception with teammates during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey (94) returns a fumble for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) celebrates his touchdown catch during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws a touchdown pass over Carolina Panthers' Tre'von Moehrig (7) during the first half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell (1) runs past Carolina Panthers' Zakee Wheatley (20) during the first half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The long-serving strongman leader of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, conceded defeat on Sunday in an election that pitted him and his right-wing party against a diverse student-led opposition movement that spent two years protesting his government.
It was a seismic political shift in the Balkan country where Vucic, who had been endorsed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and who denounced the student movement as a foreign-led attempt to unseat him, led with virtually absolute power for 14 years.
High turnout and gathering tensions marked the highly contested parliamentary election that was a showdown between Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party and university students who, accusing the government of corruption and dismantling democracy, had built a popular following across the country.
Serbia's 6.4 million voters were electing lawmakers to the 250-member Parliament. In conceding the election, Vucic said his party projects that his opponents, the youth-backed Students’ List, will take between 135 and 140 seats while his SNS party will have around 105.
“The Students’ List has won,” Vucic told supporters at his party's election night event, though he blamed Serbia's independent media as well as alleged interference by unnamed European countries and an ”American deep state" for the loss.
Vucic said that his SNS party won around 1.7 million votes compared to the Students’ List, which he said took around 2.2 million.
Supporters of the Students' List immediately flooded onto the streets of Belgrade and other cities, honking horns, shouting and chanting: “Aleksandar is gone,” referring to Vucic.
The outcome, which Vucic announced only around an hour and a half after polls closed, came after tensions had built as voting progressed during the day.
Police in anti-riot gear cordoned off an area in central Belgrade around the election commission headquarters. Special police vehicles could be seen near a Belgrade park where Vucic's loyalists have been camping for over a year, and large groups of black-clad men had congregated at various points throughout the city.
Vucic was seeking become Serbia's prime minister after serving two near-full terms as president. He resigned the presidency last month to lead the campaign.
Support for the populist had eroded since 16 people were killed in 2024 when a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Novi Sad. That set off a wave of youth protests that blamed the collapse on high-level corruption, cronyism and rampant graft during renovation work at the station.
Despite the protests, Vucic retained considerable support among many of Serbia’s voters. Admirers viewed him as a capable leader who can steer the nation through global uncertainties — the image that was carefully crafted by the mainstream media.
While the increasingly authoritarian Vucic has routinely outplayed Serbia’s fractured opposition in the past, the leaderless youth movement proved to be a tough opponent that rattled his firm grip on power in Serbia like no one else in the 14 years since his party took office.
The newly formed Students’ List movement was shaped by university students but none actually appeared on the election list. Instead, its candidates are little-known experts, athletes, farmers and artists.
This approach was meant to counter Vucic’s one-man rule and restore a sense of community and solidarity. The students’ message during the campaign focused on a non-partisan effort to rebuild Serbia’s economy and restore its democracy.
The students have used youthful energy to attract voters who are disillusioned with local politicians. Vilified by pro-government media, they cycled and walked through the country to reach voters in rural areas — Vucic’s traditional strongholds.
The student victory echoed the recent electoral defeat of a Vucic ally in Hungary, where youth participation helped oust the autocratic Viktor Orbán after 16 years and bring in a new pro-European government. It was likely to resonate beyond Serbia as countries across Europe have faced angry youth and student protests.
Monitors predicted that total turnout in the election could reach around 70%, unseen in Serbia since 2000. During the day, long queues formed at polling stations in Serbia and in cities around the world. Some in the Serbian diaspora were made to vote in the middle of the night after authorities tied voting hours to local Serbian time.
Recent Serbian elections had been marred by irregularities and the EU was closely watching the conduct of Sunday's vote in a candidate nation for the bloc's membership.
Independent election monitors reported dozens of cases of irregularities on Sunday such as photographing of ballots that suggested pressure on voters and attempted vote buying.
Both international and local election monitors had expressed concern about the safety and fairness of an election campaign marked by detentions, near-total government control over the media and reports of surveillance and cyberattacks against activists.
Local elections earlier this year in 10 municipalities in Serbia saw violent attacks on journalists and activists. The previous parliamentary vote in 2023 was followed by opposition protests alleging fraud.
Youngsters cheer after polls closed for the parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut) CORRECTION: Change byline to Armin Durgut, not Marko Drobnjakovic
Youngsters celebrate after polls closed in the parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Students' List leader Ilija Srdanovic celebrates after Aleksandar Vucic, leader of the right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) conceded defeat in the parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Aleksandar Vucic, leader of the right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) speaks at the party headquarters, conceding defeat in the parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Youngsters cheer after polls closed for the parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut) CORRECTION: Change byline to Armin Durgut, not Marko Drobnjakovic
Women stand next to a Serbian riot police road block shortly after polls closed in the parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)
Serbian riot police officers block a boulevard shortly before the closing of the polls in the parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)
Aleksandar Vucic, leader of the right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), speaks to media after voting in a parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
People wait in lines outside a polling station to cast their votes during a parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A man holds a dog while arriving at a polling station to vote in a parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
People wait outside a polling station before the start of voting in a parliamentary election in Novi Sad, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Students' List leader Ilija Srdanovic casts his vote in a parliamentary election in Novi Sad, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Aleksandar Vucic, leader of the right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), waits along with his wife Tamara to vote in a parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
People enter a polling station that just opened its doors to cast their votes in a parliamentary election in Novi Sad, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Serbia's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic, center, listens to the Serbian national anthem with supporters during a pre-election rally of his ruling Serbian Progressive Party ahead of the early parliamentary election scheduled for Oct. 25, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo)
People shine the lights of their mobile phones and light flares during the final "Student List – Students Win" rally ahead of a parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Serbia's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic gestures during a pre-election rally of his ruling Serbian Progressive Party ahead of the early parliamentary election scheduled for Oct. 25, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo)
A young man holds a Serbian flag as people gather for the final "Student List – Students Win" rally ahead of a parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)
