It’s a case of one battle after another for Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Taylor Moton.

The Panthers entered their NFC South showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers atop the division following a fine start to the 2026 season. However, Carolina were blown out at Bank of America Stadium, falling 43-13 as Tampa Bay picked up a crucial win to move to 2-5.

With Baker Mayfield back, the Bucs leaned on the ground game to put the Panthers to the sword. Bucky Irving dominated, rushing for 106 yards and two touchdowns on a day when the Panthers offense failed to get going.

One key reason for the faltering performance was Moton's absence. With 14:13 left in the third quarter, Moton pounded the turf while holding his left leg following Bucs edge-rusher Yaya Diaby’s sack on quarterback Bryce Young.

Panthers staff immediately ran over to Moton, examined his leg, and put him on the back of a cart to be taken into the locker room. He is set to miss an extended period.

“Yeah, T-Mo's gonna be out for a while,” Panthers head coach Dave Canales told reporters. “It was the fibula. There is a fracture there. We'll have to get the full run-up to be able to give you the extent of the whole thing.

“But it was just sick for T-Mo. Working his way back, getting out there. Just kinda an end-of-the-play thing, guys just rolled up on him unexpectedly at that moment.”

Despite being the Panthers’ starting tackle for the last nine seasons, the 32-year-old has only played seven quarters in 2026. The longest-serving non-specialist on the Panthers’ roster, Moton was sidelined through the previous four contests - and the bulk of the offseason - as he recovered from blood clots in his lung.

After seeing him battle back and then return to action before going down, Moton’s teammates are sick for him. Carolina right guard Robert Hunt was asked about his teammate’s injury, saying: “Breaks my heart, man.

“Was really excited to play with him again. He's a pro, he loves his game, he approaches it that way, and you hate to see [with] the year that's happened, with the blood clots and that. It can't rain forever though, so I think he's in good spirits, and he's a pro.”

Moton is signed through the 2028 season. However, 2027 is the final season on his contract with guaranteed money.

In Moton’s absence, first-round pick Monroe Freeling - who had started with the veteran out during the first four games of the season - came in to play right tackle and protect Young.

The 3-3 Panthers are next in action against the 4-2 Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Thursday Night Football on Oct. 29.