We'll have to wait a little bit longer to figure out who'll win the NFC South. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9) were able to fend off a late rally from the Carolina Panthers (8-9) and pull off the 16-14 victory at Raymond James Stadium. This victory keeps the Bucs' playoff hopes still alive, while Carolina is now out of the race quite yet, even in defeat.
Now, all eyes will shift to Sunday's matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. If the Falcons win that contest, Carolina would win the NFC South due to a three-way tiebreaker. Meanwhile, if the Saints win, Tampa Bay will be crowned division champs for the fifth-straight year.
It was a rather modest start to Saturday's contest with the Bucs gaining an early edge with a 10-0 run in the first quarter. After back-to-back punts to start the day, Carolina would chip away at the lead with a Tommy Tremble 8-yard touchdown from Bryce Young in the early stages of the second quarter, taking advantage of a Baker Mayfield interception on the prior possession.
That would be the only time the Panthers got into the end zone or put points on the scoreboard until late in the fourth quarter as they stared down a 16-7 deficit. With just over two-minutes to play, Bryce Young connected with Jalen Coker for an 8-yard touchdown to get within two points of the Bucs, a scoring play set up by a 40-yard gain by rookie Tetairoa McMillan.
That effort was too little, too late in the end, however, as Mayfield and Co. were able to bleed the clock down on the ensuing possession to less than 30 seconds in regulation, largely in part to a clutch bootleg throw to Cade Otton on a third-and-4 play just before the two-minute warning. That left Carolina little to no time to travel the length of the field to try and kick a game-winner, but it didn't even cross midfield, which has them now rooting for Atlanta to keep their hopes of winning the NFC South going.
Baker Mayfield finished his night completing 16 of his 22 passes for 203 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Cade Otton was his go-to target, catching seven passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Bryce Young completed 24 of his 35 throws for 266 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the losing effort.
स्रोत: Cbssports
