The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Carolina Panthers 16-14 on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium in rain-soaked conditions. Both teams finished the regular season with 8-9 records.
Baker Mayfield completed 16 of 22 passes for 203 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals for Tampa Bay. Cade Otton caught seven passes for 94 yards and a touchdown.
Tampa Bay scored first with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield to Otton, followed by a 29-yard field goal from McLaughlin for a 10-0 lead. Carolina responded after Christian Rozeboom intercepted Mayfield, with Bryce Young connecting with Tommy Tremble on an 8-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 10-7.
McLaughlin added a 36-yard field goal before halftime to give the Buccaneers a 13-7 lead. His third field goal, a 48-yarder early in the fourth quarter, extended the lead to 16-7. Carolina's Jalen Coker caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Young with 2:27 remaining to make it 16-14.
Tampa Bay converted a crucial third-and-4 with a 20-yard pass to Otton to run down the clock. Carolina received the ball at their own 3-yard line with 18 seconds and no timeouts left. The game ended on a failed lateral play.
The Buccaneers finished with 21 first downs and 338 total yards. The Panthers had 16 first downs and 285 total yards. Tampa Bay converted 8 of 15 third downs, while Carolina was 1 for 8 on third down.
The NFC South division champion will be determined Sunday when the New Orleans Saints (6-10) face the Atlanta Falcons (7-9). Tampa Bay needs New Orleans to win or tie to clinch their fifth consecutive division title. If Atlanta wins, Carolina will win the division via a three-team tiebreaker.
Defensive tackle Vita Vea, a mainstay on that Buccaneers defense, has since requested a trade after his own contract extension talks with Tampa Bay stalled.
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