The Tampa Bay Buccaneers prevailed in an epic week thirteen divisional match-up against the Panthers. Led by Baker Mayfield, the Bucs entered this week’s game in must-win territory if they wanted to keep true, realistic hope for a playoff appearance. After seeing the division-leading Falcons get trounced by the Broncos 38-6, and the Bucs able to close the gap down to one game with Atlanta, it became clear Tampa Bay holds onto their own fate regarding a playoff run in 2024-25.
Coming out of the bye, a much-needed momentum boost was had in MetLife Stadium against the Giants. With the offense maintaining their high-scoring ways and the defense proving they have what it takes to shut down an NFL offense, Bucs players and coaches collectively recognized this season wasn’t over, yet only in the early stages of what could be a memorable season for everyone involved.
Familiar Faces
Entering battle against the Panthers, this was a game that had hints of it being a good one before kick-off was even near. Carolina head coach Dave Canales had a rough start to the year, but had his team winning two out of the last three, fresh off a close, walk-off loss to the Chiefs. With him serving as the Tampa Bay offensive coordinator in 2023, the familiarity between both Todd Bowles and Canales was there, along with inside knowledge of many assistant coaches and of course players from both sides on the field.
Tampa Bay started off with a bang, holding the Panthers to a three-and-out on their first few drives and completing an amazing one-handed touchdown by Mike Evans. The defense seemed to have the recipe for maintaining pressure on Panthers’ QB Bryce Young and sustain run-heavy drives, the Bucs even lucked out with a pair of early missed field goals by Panthers’ kicker Eddy Pinero. But like it was on queue, the turnover bug hit hard.
Costly Turnovers
A late second quarter interception by Baker Mayfield set the Panthers up with good field-position, with under a minute to go. A drive they ended up only getting three, but a debatable call almost had Carolina executing on a touchdown to end that half. Mayfield’s second interception came after he missed two plays due to injury. On a third-and-one early in the third quarter, a play-action pass play had Mayfield deliver a strike to a defender, one of the more frustrating turnovers you’ll see.
It was a solid mixture of the Tampa Bay defense and rushing attack that kept them in the game during the second half. Holding the Panthers to only one field goal in the third quarter, which occurred directly after the Tampa Bay turnover, the defense had a solid grasp on the Panthers second half offense, forcing them to punt three times.
Bucky’s Breakout
The Buccaneers’ running backs may have to get the game ball for how they handled themselves in Bank of America Stadium. Bucky Irving amassed 185 total yards, 152 of those coming on the ground. He had a huge 43-yard run that included a huge stiff-arm in the fourth quarter. It's safe to say this was a breakout game for Irving.
After Irving’s huge fourth quarter run, the Bucs found themselves up by one point and deep inside enemy territory. After a run like that, you’d expect the team to push through and secure a big win. But with 4:42 remaining in the game and Tampa Bay in need of a touchdown, they weren’t able to push forward and get the big score, settling for a field goal and pushing themselves up four.
Clutch Activity
Enter Bryce Young and the Carolina offense, down four and with three minutes remaining. Young was quickly able to find former Buccaneer WR David Moore a few times down field, along with Chuba Hubbard and Tommy Tremble to nickel and dime their way down into Bucs’ territory. With under a minute to go and the Panthers in need of a big score, Bryce Young was able to escape out of the pocket and find a wide open Adam Theilan in the end zone for a beautiful go-ahead touchdown with :36 remaining.
Reminiscent of Thursday Night in Atlanta or Monday against the Chiefs, the Tampa Bay defense wasn’t capable of getting a stop when they needed it. Luckily for them, the Bucs still held all three timeouts and had a healthy Mike Evans back on the roster during a time like this.
After a 17-yard completion to Evans on the first play of the drive, Baker Mayfield was then able to escape out of the pocket and rush for ten yards, into Carolina territory with :11 seconds left. Mayfield, who was battling a rough ankle injury he sustained during the game, dialed in and delivered two 5-yard completions to push Bucs kicker Chase McLaughin up closer to a 51-yard attempt that he would successfully bury to tie the game at 23 and push it to overtime.
Overtime Excitement
The 2024 Buccaneers have had awful luck in overtime so far this season, with two losses to Atlanta and Kansas City, the Bucs forced overtime and weren’t able to take one offensive snap after allowing touchdowns on the first drive in each game. During the coin toss this Sunday, Bucs LB Lavonte David went out and was able to win the coin toss and elected for the Bucs to receive first.
As Tampa Bay began overtime, rookie receiver Jalen McMillan caught an awesome 22-yard catch that pushed the offense into enemy territory! The Bucs were driving but they knew they needed a touchdown to end the game, as a field goal would give Carolina another chance to win it. After three successful plays pushing themselves close to field goal range, Panthers LB Travin Wallace got into the Bucs backfield and sacked Mayfield, resulting in a third-and-long, outside of field goal range.
Mayfield followed with a completed a short pass on third that made the field goal attempt more manageable at 55-yards. McLaughlin has been great for the Bucs, but the long-range kicks aren't exactly where he specializes. The Bucs missed the 55-yard attempt and gave the Panthers the opportunity to win it with a field goal, 6:36 remaining in overtime.
At about their own 45-yard line, only fifteen to twenty yards from field goal range. Bryce Young threw a third down pass outside to Adam Theilan that was one of the more remarkable catches you’ll see all year. In a make or break situation, Theilan held on for the grab and put the Panthers inside field goal range.
Already missing two on the day, Panthers kicker Eddy Pinero seemingly had the chance to make up for it. But with 5:11 left in overtime and the Panthers just outside of the Bucs 30-yard line, on first down they elected to run up-the-gut with Chuba Hubbard. After taking a hit at the line of scrimmage, Bucs outside linebacker Anthony Nelson had an opportunity to grab at the ball, and he did exactly that.
In the middle of a scrum of players attempting to tackle Hubbard, the football went quickly flying towards the sideline, just in time for Tampa Bay’s Yaya Diaby to come in and scoop up the fumble. One of the more clutch plays you’ll ever see, Anthony Nelson was at the right place at the right time to strip that ball.
After the Bucs recovered, all they needed was a field goal and they could leave this game tied for the division lead. With missed chances on offense, defense and special teams, this possession essentially decided whether these next few weeks of Tampa Bay games would be meaningful or not.
Two plays in, Baker Mayfield found Mike Evans for a 21-yard catch to push the Bucs into enemy territory. Followed by the 38-yard Rachaad White run that put Tampa Bay inside the red zone and right where they wanted to be to give McLaughlin his best chance at ending the game.
So after a back-and-forth first half, a second half that had both teams exchanging the lead in the final five minutes of regulation and an overtime period that you couldn’t make up, that’s exactly what McLaughlin and the Bucs special teams unit did. Walking off an epic overtime game that ended in a huge Tampa Bay win, 26-23.
The Beginning of a Rivalry?
After the start of 2024 for Carolina, some folks were convinced Panthers head coach Dave Canales would be a one-and-done type coach, somebody who would be fired after only one season. But after the benching of Bryce Young early in the season, to see where he is now, along with the rest of this Panthers team, it’s easy to see they’re a team on the rise.
With a young head coach and quarterback who is constantly improving week after week. Canales is looking like a shoe-in to be brought back for 2024. With still another game against Tampa Bay, we haven’t seen the end of the Panthers this season yet. A lot can happen and change between now and then, but it’s another game you have to circle on the Bucs’ schedule and cannot guarantee as a win, just yet.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers prevailed in an epic week thirteen divisional match-up against the Panthers. Led by Baker Mayfield, the Bucs entered this week’s game in must-win territory if they wanted to keep true, realistic hope for a playoff appearance. After seeing the division-leading Falcons get trounced by the Broncos 38-6, and the Bucs able to close the gap down to one game with Atlanta, it became clear Tampa Bay holds onto their own fate regarding a playoff run in 2024-25.
Coming out of the bye, a much-needed momentum boost was had in MetLife Stadium against the Giants. With the offense maintaining their high-scoring ways and the defense proving they have what it takes to shut down an NFL offense, Bucs players and coaches collectively recognized this season wasn’t over, yet only in the early stages of what could be a memorable season for everyone involved.
Familiar Faces
Entering battle against the Panthers, this was a game that had hints of it being a good one before kick-off was even near. Carolina head coach Dave Canales had a rough start to the year, but had his team winning two out of the last three, fresh off a close, walk-off loss to the Chiefs. With him serving as the Tampa Bay offensive coordinator in 2023, the familiarity between both Todd Bowles and Canales was there, along with inside knowledge of many assistant coaches and of course players from both sides on the field.
Tampa Bay started off with a bang, holding the Panthers to a three-and-out on their first few drives and completing an amazing one-handed touchdown by Mike Evans. The defense seemed to have the recipe for maintaining pressure on Panthers’ QB Bryce Young and sustain run-heavy drives, the Bucs even lucked out with a pair of early missed field goals by Panthers’ kicker Eddy Pinero. But like it was on queue, the turnover bug hit hard.
Costly Turnovers
A late second quarter interception by Baker Mayfield set the Panthers up with good field-position, with under a minute to go. A drive they ended up only getting three, but a debatable call almost had Carolina executing on a touchdown to end that half. Mayfield’s second interception came after he missed two plays due to injury. On a third-and-one early in the third quarter, a play-action pass play had Mayfield deliver a strike to a defender, one of the more frustrating turnovers you’ll see.
It was a solid mixture of the Tampa Bay defense and rushing attack that kept them in the game during the second half. Holding the Panthers to only one field goal in the third quarter, which occurred directly after the Tampa Bay turnover, the defense had a solid grasp on the Panthers second half offense, forcing them to punt three times.
Bucky’s Breakout
The Buccaneers’ running backs may have to get the game ball for how they handled themselves in Bank of America Stadium. Bucky Irving amassed 185 total yards, 152 of those coming on the ground. He had a huge 43-yard run that included a huge stiff-arm in the fourth quarter. It's safe to say this was a breakout game for Irving.
After Irving’s huge fourth quarter run, the Bucs found themselves up by one point and deep inside enemy territory. After a run like that, you’d expect the team to push through and secure a big win. But with 4:42 remaining in the game and Tampa Bay in need of a touchdown, they weren’t able to push forward and get the big score, settling for a field goal and pushing themselves up four.
Clutch Activity
Enter Bryce Young and the Carolina offense, down four and with three minutes remaining. Young was quickly able to find former Buccaneer WR David Moore a few times down field, along with Chuba Hubbard and Tommy Tremble to nickel and dime their way down into Bucs’ territory. With under a minute to go and the Panthers in need of a big score, Bryce Young was able to escape out of the pocket and find a wide open Adam Theilan in the end zone for a beautiful go-ahead touchdown with :36 remaining.
Reminiscent of Thursday Night in Atlanta or Monday against the Chiefs, the Tampa Bay defense wasn’t capable of getting a stop when they needed it. Luckily for them, the Bucs still held all three timeouts and had a healthy Mike Evans back on the roster during a time like this.
After a 17-yard completion to Evans on the first play of the drive, Baker Mayfield was then able to escape out of the pocket and rush for ten yards, into Carolina territory with :11 seconds left. Mayfield, who was battling a rough ankle injury he sustained during the game, dialed in and delivered two 5-yard completions to push Bucs kicker Chase McLaughin up closer to a 51-yard attempt that he would successfully bury to tie the game at 23 and push it to overtime.
Overtime Excitement
The 2024 Buccaneers have had awful luck in overtime so far this season, with two losses to Atlanta and Kansas City, the Bucs forced overtime and weren’t able to take one offensive snap after allowing touchdowns on the first drive in each game. During the coin toss this Sunday, Bucs LB Lavonte David went out and was able to win the coin toss and elected for the Bucs to receive first.
As Tampa Bay began overtime, rookie receiver Jalen McMillan caught an awesome 22-yard catch that pushed the offense into enemy territory! The Bucs were driving but they knew they needed a touchdown to end the game, as a field goal would give Carolina another chance to win it. After three successful plays pushing themselves close to field goal range, Panthers LB Travin Wallace got into the Bucs backfield and sacked Mayfield, resulting in a third-and-long, outside of field goal range.
Mayfield followed with a completed a short pass on third that made the field goal attempt more manageable at 55-yards. McLaughlin has been great for the Bucs, but the long-range kicks aren't exactly where he specializes. The Bucs missed the 55-yard attempt and gave the Panthers the opportunity to win it with a field goal, 6:36 remaining in overtime.
At about their own 45-yard line, only fifteen to twenty yards from field goal range. Bryce Young threw a third down pass outside to Adam Theilan that was one of the more remarkable catches you’ll see all year. In a make or break situation, Theilan held on for the grab and put the Panthers inside field goal range.
Already missing two on the day, Panthers kicker Eddy Pinero seemingly had the chance to make up for it. But with 5:11 left in overtime and the Panthers just outside of the Bucs 30-yard line, on first down they elected to run up-the-gut with Chuba Hubbard. After taking a hit at the line of scrimmage, Bucs outside linebacker Anthony Nelson had an opportunity to grab at the ball, and he did exactly that.
In the middle of a scrum of players attempting to tackle Hubbard, the football went quickly flying towards the sideline, just in time for Tampa Bay’s Yaya Diaby to come in and scoop up the fumble. One of the more clutch plays you’ll ever see, Anthony Nelson was at the right place at the right time to strip that ball.
After the Bucs recovered, all they needed was a field goal and they could leave this game tied for the division lead. With missed chances on offense, defense and special teams, this possession essentially decided whether these next few weeks of Tampa Bay games would be meaningful or not.
Two plays in, Baker Mayfield found Mike Evans for a 21-yard catch to push the Bucs into enemy territory. Followed by the 38-yard Rachaad White run that put Tampa Bay inside the red zone and right where they wanted to be to give McLaughlin his best chance at ending the game.
So after a back-and-forth first half, a second half that had both teams exchanging the lead in the final five minutes of regulation and an overtime period that you couldn’t make up, that’s exactly what McLaughlin and the Bucs special teams unit did. Walking off an epic overtime game that ended in a huge Tampa Bay win, 26-23.
The Beginning of a Rivalry?
After the start of 2024 for Carolina, some folks were convinced Panthers head coach Dave Canales would be a one-and-done type coach, somebody who would be fired after only one season. But after the benching of Bryce Young early in the season, to see where he is now, along with the rest of this Panthers team, it’s easy to see they’re a team on the rise.
With a young head coach and quarterback who is constantly improving week after week. Canales is looking like a shoe-in to be brought back for 2024. With still another game against Tampa Bay, we haven’t seen the end of the Panthers this season yet. A lot can happen and change between now and then, but it’s another game you have to circle on the Bucs’ schedule and cannot guarantee as a win, just yet.
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