When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by Baker Mayfield, went two games below .500 (4-6), prior to their bye week, it appeared their chances to make the postseason were not looking good. But they just so happen to play in the worst division in football, the NFC South, which has kept them above water.
The Atlanta Falcons might let the Buccaneers steal the division title. The Falcons lost at home to the Los Angeles Chargers 17-13 on Sunday, and then the Buccaneers got a 26-23 overtime win over the Carolina Panthers, keeping their composure and rallying in the final 30 seconds of regulation to knot the game at 23 and then coming up with a critical turnover in overtime with the Panthers in field-goal range. The Buccaneers and Falcons are tied for first place in the NFC South at 6-6.
Mayfield exited the game briefly after getting his foot stepped on following a sack in the third quarter, but like the tough player and person that he is, returned and hit some huge passes late in the fourth quarter and again in the 10-minute extra session to get the win. But he did not do it by himself and was aided by rookie running back Bucky Irving, who had a coming out party and breakout performance with 152 yards on the ground.
The Buccaneers are doing more than just hanging on by a thread in the NFC South, especially with most of their playmakers healthy. They look like the best team in the division, and someone has to win it.
For a moment, the Buccaneers’ playoff hopes and dreams of capturing the division were limping off the field.
Mayfield was sacked by the Panthers linebacker Josey Jewell, then, to add insult to injury, when he was on the ground, he had his foot stepped on. Mayfield walked gingerly to the sideline, briefly sat on the bench and then went to the blue medical tent, limping noticeably. Mayfield was replaced on Tampa Bay’s next drive by backup quarterback Kyle Trask out of the University of Florida.
Embed from Getty Images“Honestly, it scared the daylights out of me,” Mayfield said. “I’ve seen some people pop their Achilles before and they say it feels like you get cleated in the back. Obviously not knowing what had happened, I thought that’s what I did. It was a little painful but I got taped up again and went back out there.”
The Buccaneers came into Sunday’s contest just a half-game behind Kirk Cousins and the Falcons for first place in the division. However, they trailed by a field goal, 13-10, in the third quarter when Mayfield went down.
Mayfield came back after Trask started the drive. Then Mayfield threw a costly interception on his first play back in.
The Panthers were playing well, with Bryce Young having one of his best games in his two-year career as a pro. Getting benched has seemed to really helped him. Nothing was really clicking on both sides of the ball for the Buccaneers.
Panthers coach Dave Canales said he is excited about Young’s progression, but was frustrated by the team’s mistakes in their latest loss.
“We have to put together a full complement of quarters, a full four quarters to become the team that we want to become,” Canales said.
But on a day that they did not necessarily bring their ‘A game’, the Buccaneers found a way, even in the last 30 seconds when it seemed like a loss was most certainly in the cards.
The Buccaneers trailed going into the locker room at halftime but they had the momentum on their side and would find a way to win. The defense started to create havoc and get some stops, and then the offense started to hum, coming through with its best drive of the game to take a lead.
Tampa Bay went on a methodical 11-play, 69-yard drive that started in the third quarter and ended in the fourth quarter. Irving capped off the drive with a 6-yard touchdown, giving the Buccaneers a one-point advantage, 17-16.
Carolina still had an opportunity to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, trailing by four, 20-16, with a few minutes to go. The Panthers got into Buccaneers territory. Young kept making plays, leading a 60-yard drive, and then the Panthers took the lead with 30 seconds left on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Young to Adam Thielen.
The Buccaneers had a chance to respond, and did just that. Mayfield got Tampa Bay in position for Chase McLaughlin to try a 51-yard field goal, and he nailed it to send the game to overtime.
In overtime the Buccaneers won the coin toss and got the ball first, but a sack of Mayfield pushed Tampa Bay back and the drive stalled. McLaughlin missed a long, 55-yard field goal attempt and the Panthers had a chance to win. The Panthers moved into field-goal range but running back Chuba Hubbard lost a fumble on a run when he was stripped by lineman Anthony Nelson, and Tampa Bay recovered. Mayfield connected with Mike Evans for 21 yards and Rachaad White had a 38-yard run to set up a short game-winning field goal.
“Mike’s a grown man,” Mayfield said. “I don’t how he caught that ball. He’s proven time and time again for 11 years that he can do it.”
“I hold myself to a high standard and we are trying to change things around here and that’s not helping with anything,” Hubbard said. “So, I’ve got to be better and all I can do is just work. It happened and I have to grow from it.”
The Buccaneers had to scratch and crawl to get out of town with the W against the Panthers. They are back in a first-place tie with the Falcons, and if they happen to take the division they can reflect on a hard-fought win at Carolina as a big reason why.
“The football gods were kind to us,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. “The first half of the season, we wouldn’t have finished that one out. We did a heck of a job fighting back all game. It was a tough game. They played tough. We played tough. We made mistakes in the first half of the season and, this game, we pulled it out. We learned some mental toughness.”
The Buccaneers look to continue their winning way when they host Aidan O’Connell and the Las Vegas Raiders next Sunday.
The Panthers travel to Philadelphia to face Saquon Barkley and the Eagles next Sunday.
