Bucs’ Costly Missteps Sink Them in Carolina, But Division Hopes Still Alive
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - In the NFL, physical mistakes are part of the game. Mental ones?
They’ll haunt you - especially in December. And for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the Panthers was a masterclass in self-inflicted wounds.
With the game - and a shot at staying atop the NFC South - hanging in the balance, the Bucs unraveled in the final minute. Rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka jumped early on a critical play, pushing Tampa Bay out of field goal range.
On the very next snap, Baker Mayfield escaped the pocket with open grass ahead, but instead of tucking and running, he fired a pass behind Mike Evans. Evans, thinking Mayfield was taking off, wasn’t ready.
Panthers safety Lathan Ransom was - and he made them pay, picking off the pass with 42 seconds left to seal the win.
“Unfortunately, it was,” Mayfield said, echoing head coach Todd Bowles’ postgame diagnosis of a miscommunication. “I was just trying to find a lane to step through and make the throw to him, and he thought I was going to scramble.
Based on some of the scrambles earlier, you can’t blame him. It’s just a sucky situation.”
It was a brutal ending to a game Tampa Bay had every chance to win - and needed to win. The loss dropped the Bucs to 7-8, one game behind the now-division-leading Panthers (8-7).
Yet somehow, the path to the playoffs is still there: beat the Dolphins next week in Miami, then take care of Carolina in the regular-season finale at home. Win out, and the NFC South crown is theirs.
“We understand that,” Bowles said. “The biggest thing is our confidence is good and our camaraderie is good, but that’s not enough right now.
It’s the execution that we’re lacking and missing a few things here and there. We shot ourselves in the foot enough (Sunday) to lose this ball game by three.”
It’s a frustrating turn for a team that opened the season 5-1 and now finds itself on the brink, having dropped six of its last seven. And while the Panthers didn’t exactly dominate, they didn’t beat themselves either - something the Bucs can’t say.
Despite having their full complement of offensive weapons - Evans, Chris Godwin, rookies Jalen McMillan and Egbuka, and running back Bucky Irving - the Bucs leaned heavily on the ground game. Bowles made it clear: the plan was to run the ball at least 30 times.
And to their credit, they did it well. Tampa Bay racked up 169 rushing yards on 33 carries, averaging 5.1 yards per tote.
Mayfield added 49 yards on four scrambles, and the Bucs won the time of possession battle by a full nine minutes.
“It was by design to play complementary football,” Bowles explained. “At the same time, (the Panthers) don’t play well when you rush over 30 attempts per game, statistically speaking. I think we had some runs in there and we had a chance to throw it, but we controlled the time of possession and the clock all the way down to the end.”
But for all the conservative play-calling, Bowles made one aggressive call that backfired in a big way. With Tampa Bay up 10-6 and just 12 seconds left in the first half, Carolina had the ball at the Bucs’ 22-yard line and no timeouts.
Conventional wisdom says keep everything in front, force a quick throw, and head to the locker room with the lead. Instead, Bowles dialed up a Cover Zero blitz - no safety help, all-out pressure.
Carolina quarterback Bryce Young didn’t flinch. He found Tetairoa McMillan, who beat cornerback Jamel Dean for a 22-yard touchdown. Just like that, the Bucs went into halftime trailing 13-10.
“No timeouts,” Bowles said. “They had to throw in bounds or they have to throw it out of the end zone, and (Dean) had to be back to make that play and he did not make it.”
Dean didn’t dodge responsibility. “I could’ve played it better,” he said.
That moment - and the final-minute interception - were emblematic of a Bucs team that continues to find new ways to beat itself. Penalties were once again a problem.
Right tackle Luke Goedeke was flagged four times, including two false starts and a holding call. Another penalty for being illegally downfield was declined.
“Me personally, I did not play a very good game (Sunday),” Goedeke admitted. “I’m extremely frustrated. But again, you have to have a short memory in this league.”
Evans, who had torched Atlanta for 132 yards just two weeks ago, was held to five catches for just 31 yards. Mayfield finished with 145 passing yards, one touchdown, and the game-sealing interception. And once again, red zone execution was an issue - too many field goals, not enough touchdowns.
“We’ve got to win out to win the division and get into the playoffs,” Mayfield said. “It’s as clear as it can be.
Wish we could’ve taken care of business (Sunday), but the situation doesn’t change. Yeah, it sucks.
Too many penalties on offense (Sunday). We keep shooting ourselves in the foot, and we’ve got to finish with seven in the red zone instead of three.
Same story, different day.”
The Bucs’ margin for error is gone. But the opportunity?
It’s still there. Two games left.
Win both, and they’re in. Anything less, and they’ll be watching January football from the couch.
Next up: a trip to Miami. The stakes don’t get any higher.