Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did their part, now they’ll have to watch and wait.
On a rainy Saturday night, Mayfield threw a touchdown pass to Cade Otton and Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals as the Buccaneers survived a sloppy 16–14 win over the Carolina Panthers to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Tampa Bay (8–9) can still claim a fifth straight NFC South title, but only if New Orleans (6–10) beats or ties Atlanta (7–9) on Sunday. That unlikely scenario has the Buccaneers in the unfamiliar position of rooting for the Saints.
“I never thought I’d see a day where I’m rooting for the Saints,” veteran linebacker Lavonte David said.
The division race has taken a bizarre turn. The NFC South champion will finish with a losing record and be crowned while watching from home. If Atlanta wins Sunday, Carolina would secure its first division title since the 2015 season, when Cam Newton and Ron Rivera led the Panthers to a 15–1 record and a Super Bowl appearance.
Before then, Tampa Bay had to survive Carolina.
The Buccaneers struck quickly, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive for the third straight game. Mayfield capped it with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Otton, the tight end’s first score of the season, for a 7–0 lead. After McLaughlin added a 29-yard field goal, Tampa Bay led 10–0.
Carolina answered when Christian Rozeboom intercepted Mayfield and returned it to the Bucs’ 19. Bryce Young converted the short field into an 8-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Tremble to pull the Panthers within 10–7.
Jacob Parrish intercepted Young later in the half, setting up a 36-yard McLaughlin field goal and a 13–7 Tampa Bay lead at halftime. McLaughlin added a 48-yarder early in the fourth quarter to extend the advantage to 16–7.
The Panthers weren’t finished. After a blocked field goal gave Carolina new life, Young threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Coker with 2:27 remaining to cut the deficit to 16–14.
Mayfield responded with his biggest play of the night, hitting Otton for 20 yards on third-and-4 to bleed precious time off the clock. Carolina got the ball back at its own 3-yard line with 18 seconds left and no timeouts, but the game ended on a desperate series of laterals that resulted in a fumble.
Mayfield, who finished without another interception after throwing his ninth pick in the past eight games, acknowledged the strange rooting interest ahead.
Bowles plans to watch Sunday’s Saints-Falcons game at home, while some players may gather for a watch party.
Meanwhile, the night also marked a possible turning point for the franchise. Longtime radio voice Gene Deckerhoff is retiring after 37 seasons, and veterans Mike Evans and Lavonte David could have played their final games in a Buccaneers uniform.
Now, Tampa Bay’s season, and the NFC South title, will be decided from the couch.
