Monday, 4 a.m.
The wish list came true Sunday. Every frustration held by a fan of the Tampa Bay Bucs was solved. Every shortcoming suddenly looked like a strength.
And just like that, the Bucs won a division game by 30 points.
The Bucs had all the answers in Sunday's 43-13 victory over Carolina.
-- Running the ball? The Bucs ran it 49 times and gained 258 yards. They chewed up the Panthers, rolling for three scores.
-- Rushing the passer? The Bucs sacked Bryce Young five times. They also came up with two interceptions and returned a blocked extra point for a score. YaYa Diaby had three sacks.
-- Forcing turnovers. The Bucs caused three of them, one of them a 32-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Calijah Kancey.
-- Making sure the quarterback plays under control. In his return to the lineup, Baker Mayfield threw only 11 times for 64 yards. He did throw a 14-yard score to Tez Johnson.
-- Relying on a strong offensive line. The line propelled Bucky Irving to 106 yards and Kenny Gainwell to 88.
All in all, the Bucs avoided shooting themselves in the foot as they had during their 1-5 start to the season.
The result is the Bucs are now 2-5 and tied for third place in the NFC South, a game behind Carolina and Atlanta.
The Bucs are home Sunday against Atlanta at 1 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium.