The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won in dramatic fashion Sunday in an NFC South battle against the Carolina Panthers, 26-23 in overtime. The Bucs’ victory improved their record to 6-6 and tied them with the Atlanta Falcons for first place in the division.
Chase McLaughlin made a 30-yard field goal with 2:13 left in overtime to secure the Buccaneers victory. McLaughlin had missed a 55-yard field goal on the Bucs’ first overtime possession after sending the game into overtime with a 51-yard kick as regulation expired. After the missed 55 yards, the Panthers took over at the 45-yard line. Anthony Nelson reversed the trend. He tackled Chuba Hubbard and forced a fumble in the process. Yaya Diaby recovered the ball at the Tampa Bay 29, putting Mayfield and company back on the field.
“We found a way to win,” Baker Mayfield said. “Being on the right side at the end is good for us. We were sloppy in the beginning. Offensively, there are too many penalties, mental errors, things like that, but finding a way to push things in overtime and winning is a big moment for us.”
Offensive view
The Buccaneers scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to take a four-point lead. Rookie running back Bucky Irving scored on a six-yard run and his 43-yard run on Tampa Bay’s ensuing drive set up McLaughlin for a 26-yard field goal. On the touchdown run on a fast break, Ko Kieft and Payne Durham acted as lead blockers to create space for Irving. However, Carolina then orchestrated a 60-yard drive that resulted in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Young to Adam Thielen and a three-point advantage for the home team. On the 43-yard field, Durham ran a crisscross block inside to help Irving initiate the explosive run. Baker Mayfield threw a 17-yard pass to Mike Evans and raced 10 yards to put the Bucs within range of McLaughlin’s game-tying kick.
Irving had a season-high 185 yards from scrimmage (152 rushing, 33 receiving), in addition to scoring a rushing touchdown. It was his third game this season with more than 100 yards from scrimmage – tied for second among rookies this season. Irving has recorded consecutive games with more than 150 yards from scrimmage – the only rookie to achieve the feat this season and the first since Miles Sanders in 2019. Over the past 10 seasons, Irving joins Ezekiel Elliott, Todd Gurley and Sanders as only recruits. to record consecutive games with more than 150 yards from scrimmage. Irving now has the two highest scrimmage yard totals by a rookie this season and has done so in consecutive weeks.
Mayfield completed 21 of 33 passes for 235 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. His favorite target was Evans, who recently returned from a hamstring injury and caught eight passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. Whether it was a double move on a punt on a corner or an in-cut for a first down, Evans helped set the tone. His one-handed grab on a fadeaway in the first quarter gave the Buccaneers a 7-0 lead. On the second goal, after Evans called a defensive pass interference penalty on Mike Jackson that provided another series of downs, Evans pushed Jaycee Horn (inside leverage) away with his left hand and made a grab spectacular with his right, while managing to get both feet down in bounds. A 21-yard gain on a bubble screen by Sterling Shepard and a sliding Irving run/wham block by Cade Otton helped set up the touchdown.
Defensive Outlook
Anthony Nelson’s crucial forced fumble could end up being the turning point of the year for Tampa Bay in the division hunt. Nelson was thrust into a larger role with Joe Tryon-Shoyinka out with an ankle injury. In addition to the overtime takeaways, he had six tackles and three quarterback hits on Young. Yaya Diaby also recorded three hits on Young and six tackles, and Calijah Kancey had a takedown.
Kancey picked up his sixth sack of the season against Young and his fifth in the last four games. His 5.0 sacks since Week 9 are tied for fourth-most in the NFL during that span. His 6.0 sacks are the second most among players with 350 or fewer defensive snaps played this season, behind Aidan Hutchinson (7.5). The Panthers signal-caller constantly used his legs to escape pressure as the Bucs unit struggled with lane integrity and Young found his targets down the field. Young completed 26 of 46 passes for 298 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
