Panthers' run defense springs a leak again against Tampa Bay with Packers up next on Thursday night

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers thought they had their run defense issues figured out after surrendering a whopping 291 yards and six touchdowns on the ground in Week 1 against Chicago.

It might be time to head back to the drawing board.

Carolina (3-3) had limited opponents to a respectable 92.5 yards per game and a combined two TDs on the ground in the four games since that 59-37 debacle against the Bears.

They held Atlanta's Bijan Robinson to 72 yards rushing. Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs had just 46. The Eagles, as a team, ran for just 35 against the Panthers, although they were without star Saquon Barkley.

But on Sunday, the floodgates reopened as Tampa Bay repeatedly pounded away at Carolina's front seven.

With Baker Mayfield back from a dislocated right thumb and wearing a protective glove on his right hand, the Bucs committed to the running game from the start and never deviated. They ran 49 times for 258 yards and three touchdowns against a Carolina defense that seemingly had no answers and won 43-13.

Panthers coach Dave Canales said he “liked” the team's defensive run calls, but wasn't happy about the execution.

“It came down to guys fitting their gaps, setting their blocks,” Canales said. “And then, containing the running backs. ... It's something that we’ve made great strides in. But we can’t have setbacks like this.”

Aside from the run gap issues, the Panthers had several missed tackles against Bucky Irving, who has been one of the tougher running backs in the NFL to bring down.

“We had the line of scrimmage controlled and the backs were able to get out in space, and we didn’t bring them down with enough urgency. So just working together and executing those things," Canales said.

The Panthers rank last in the league in run defense entering Monday night's NFL game, allowing 153.2 yards per game.

On paper, the Panthers would seemingly catch a break Thursday night when they head to Green Bay. The Packers will enter averaging a paltry 59.9 yards per game on the ground, the fewest in the league.

But with Josh Jacobs having one game under his belt, the Packers might look to borrow a page from the Bucs' playbook and focus on attacking a run defense that is again reeling.

Despite a miserable day for the offense, running back Chuba Hubbard continued to prove he's a valuable and reliable commodity. Because of the lopsided nature of the game, Hubbard was limited to 33 yards rushing but still averaged 4.7 yards per carry. He also had a 30-yard run called back because of a holding penalty. Hubbard added four catches for 27 yards before being removed late in the third quarter with the Bucs leading by 30.

The Panthers need to find a punt returner, plain and simple. Canales favorite David Moore was thrust into that role Sunday and the move backfired. Moore muffed an easy fair catch opportunity inside the Carolina 20 early in the game and Tampa Bay recovered, leading to a field goal. That blunder put Carolina in an early 10-0 hole. When the Bucs punted again later in the game, Moore was back to return, but Riley Dixon's kick sailed into the end zone for a touchback. It's unclear if Canales will consider making a change on a short week.

TE Darren Waller. The veteran Waller showed he still has some breakaway speed, getting behind Tampa Bay's defense by 5 yards and hauling in a career-best 50-yard touchdown pass on a go route in the second quarter. Waller has not been a high-volume pass catcher this season and mostly works in the red zone. He leads the Panthers with three TD receptions.

QB Bryce Young. Young has been solid all season, but it's evident that the fourth-year quarterback still struggles when faced with steady, constant pressure. Young was sacked five times and pressured relentlessly, leading to his worst statistical day of the season. He finished 14 of 27 for a season-low 163 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also had a fumble on a sack that was returned 32 yards for a TD.

The Panthers lost right tackle Taylor Moton to significant ankle/fibula injury on Sunday just two games after the longtime starter returned from blood clots in his lung. That means rookie first-round draft pick Monroe Freeling will be back at right tackle moving forward.

1-6 — Carolina's record against Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield since releasing him late in the 2022 season.

The Panthers are 5-10 in Thursday night games since 1995 as they prepare to head to Lambeau Field.

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Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9), right, hugs Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield after an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)

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)

Carolina Panthers' Darren Waller (88) celebrates with teammates Jalen Coker (18) after scoring a touchdown 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)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 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)

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan carried out airstrikes against armed groups in Syria in retaliation for Friday’s attack on a Greek Orthodox Church in the southern Jordanian city of Karak that killed nine people, the Jordanian air force said in a statement.

It said the operation “resulted in the killing and wounding of many members of these terrorist groups and the destruction of a number of their vehicles.” It did not specify who the groups were or the precise location of the strikes.

Syrian state media reported that civilians had been killed in the strikes. The director of health in the southern province of Daraa, where the strikes took place, told state news agency SANA that at least five civilians had been killed, including women, children and a 65-year-old man.

The Syrian government said the Jordanian operation took place “without prior coordination or notification with the Syrian side.” It said Syrian authorities were investigating the circumstances of the incident and had opened communication channels with Jordan to discuss the situation.

Earlier Monday, Jordanian authorities arrested three men for last week's attack, which also wounded more than two dozen people. The arrests followed a dawn shootout, and all three men were wounded, officials said.

The attack struck the Greek Orthodox Church during a funeral in Karak, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of the capital, Amman, on Friday. Karak is home to a minority Christian population.

The attack shocked the nation, and Jordan declared three days of mourning for the victims. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack; the attackers' motive remained unknown.

Later Monday, the Public Security Directorate identified the three arrested men as brothers Hazzah Zaidan Mohammad and Mishal Zaidan Mohammad, and their brother-in-law Ahmad Sami Hussein. All three are Jordanian; they were taken into custody in Karak, south of Amman.

The agency's chief described the gunmen as “takfiri,” a term used for Sunni militants, but said they were not tied to any organized group.

“They only represent themselves,” Maj. Gen. Obaidallah Abd Rabbo Al-Maayta told a news conference. He also said a large cache of munitions was found in the abandoned house where Jordanian forces apprehended the men.

Jordan’s Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya said the attack by the three was the result of “a terroristic, extremist way of thinking.”

“If this way of thinking is not resolved, we will see incidents like this again,” he told reporters.

Jordan's King Abdullah II had ordered authorities to respond with “an iron fist” against what he called the outlaws of Islam and anyone attempting to undermine the unity of the Jordanian people.

“We vowed the terrorists would not escape punishment, and no proponent of dark ideologies that divide Jordanians will be tolerated,” he said in a statement on Monday.

Relatives of the victims said the arrests brought them some relief.

“Despite the profound and immense tragedy, what happened today has eased our grief — and the grief of the Jordanian people — not just for us, the families of the martyrs," Khaled al-Borqan, himself a survivor of the attack and a relative of three of the people killed, told Al-Mamlaka.

“Despite the sadness and pain, the news brought us joy,” Fares Halaseh, an uncle of one of the victims and a survivor of the attack, told the TV station.

But the pain remains, he added. "We will not forget this agony for years to come.”

Associated Press writers Kareem Chehayeb and Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.

Jordanian honor guards carry a flag-draped coffin of on of the victims killed in an attack on a Greek Orthodox church during their funeral procession in Karak, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

Armed Jordanian police officers patrol near mourners during the funeral of victims killed in an attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

Relatives mourn as they hold a framed portrait of a victim killed in an attack on a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral ceremony in Karak, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)