Buccaneers drop crucial game to Panthers, continue late-season slide

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are officially in a shaky playoff position after losing to the Carolina Panthers and falling to 7-8 on the year.

The Panthers defeated the Bucs 23-20 on Sunday, getting the first of two wins needed to knock the Buccaneers out of the NFC South race and the playoffs entirely. Now, the Panthers can win the NFC South with a win over Tampa Bay in Week 18 OR a win over Seattle next week and a Bucs loss to Miami.

Here's how the game went down:

Buccaneers take lead in first quarter

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) reacts after a touchdown during the first half against the Panthers — Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) reacts after a touchdown during the first half against the Carolina Panthers | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Panthers led a nice drive that got inside the 10, but they stalled out on 3rd & 3 and had to kick a field goal to go up 3-0. The Buccaneers responded just the way they needed to, marching down the field and ending the drive at the one-yard line with the patented Mike Evans goal-line fade for a touchdown. That put the Bucs up 7-3 with 4:01 to play in the first.

The Panthers moved to midfield but stalled out, punting it back to the Buccaneers. At the end of the first quarter, the Buccaneers had just gotten the ball back on offense.

Bucs stumble, give up lead to Panthers in second quarter

Tet McMillan and Jamel Dean in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Bucs got all the way inside the five again, but this time, they couldn't punch the ball in. They kicked a field goal, going up 10-3 with 8:09 to go. The Panthers went three-and-out, so the Buccaneers had a chance to go up by two scores.

They did not, as Baker Mayfield got sacked inside the 10, and the Bucs punted. The Panthers got down near Tampa Bay's 20 but stalled out once again, so they kicked a field goal to make it 10-6 and the Bucs got the ball back with 1:59 left to try and score some points.

The Bucs ran a disastrous drive that resulted in them punting with not much time burned on the clock, so the Panthers had one more shot to score some points. They took it, getting near the 20 before Bryce Young hit a pass to Tet McMillan for seven points. The Bucs went into the half down 13-10, but got the ball back in the third.

Tampa Bay ran an extremely conservative offense, netting 2.9 pass yards per attempt and running 19 times to just 10 passes.

Bucs and Panthers trade blows in third quarter

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) runs against Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Benjamin Morrison (21) | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Bucs got the ball first, and they led a very long drive that took up 8:19 on the clock. It ended with a Sean Tucker run from the one-yard line into the end zone, which put Tampa Bay up 17-13 with 6:31 to go.

The Panthers got the ball back and led a long drive of their own, taking up 6:33 of clock. They scored themselves, with Bryce Young evading a sack and getting a six-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Tavion Sanders to put the Panthers up 20-17.

Those two drives both took up the entire third quarter, so the fourth quarter started with the Bucs getting the ball and down three.

Panthers seal win in fourth quarter

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) and quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrate after a play during the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Buccaneers got the ball to start things off in the fourth quarter, and they got inside the 30 before their drive stalled out. They kicked a field goal, tying the game 20-20. The Panthers took a bad sack on their next offensive drive, so they punted it back to the Buccaneers.

The Bucs had a big splash play to Emeka Egbuka that got them to the 50-yard line, but penalties and ineptitude forced them to punt anyway. The Panthers got the ball back with 4:46 to go, and they kicked a field goal with 2:20 left to go up 23-20. The Buccaneers took the ball back, ready to try and mount a two-minute drill.

The Bucs made it into field goal range, but Baker Mayfield threw a backbreaking interception that ended the game. With that, the Buccaneers lost their first of two games against the Panthers, and one more will knock them out of the playoffs entirely.

The Buccaneers play the Miami Dolphins on the road next week in Week 17.

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