CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In a thrilling contest on Sunday, Chase McLaughlin secured a 30-yard field goal during overtime, while Baker Mayfield, managing an ankle injury, guided the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to four scoring drives throughout the fourth quarter and the extra period. This performance enabled the Bucs to defeat the Carolina Panthers 26-23, allowing them to climb into a tie for the top spot in the NFC South.
Bucky Irving delivered an outstanding performance, rushing for a career-high 152 yards alongside a touchdown for the Bucs (6-6), who are now level with Atlanta in their division. Mayfield completed 21 of 33 passes for 235 yards, scoring a touchdown while throwing two interceptions. He has now achieved a perfect record of 4-0 against the Panthers, the team that released him in 2022.
Mike Evans was a key contributor for Tampa Bay, recording five receptions for 118 yards, including a remarkable one-handed catch for a 1-yard touchdown.
On the other side, Bryce Young showed resilience, throwing for 298 yards on 26 of 46 attempts for the Panthers (3-9), marking their seventh consecutive season below .500.
McLaughlin made an impressive 51-yard field goal as time expired in regulation but missed a subsequent 55-yarder on the Bucs’ initial possession of overtime. After his miss, Adam Thielen made an outstanding one-handed catch, bringing Carolina to the Tampa Bay 34-yard line. However, the Panthers’ momentum was halted when Chuba Hubbard fumbled on the next play, allowing the Buccaneers to regain possession.
Following this, Mayfield connected with Evans for a 21-yard gain, and Rashaad White made a significant 38-yard run to set up McLaughlin’s fourth field goal of the game from the 10-yard line.
The Panthers’ defense initially held strong, executing a crucial goal-line stop on third down late in the fourth quarter. Young concluded a nine-play, 60-yard effort by throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Thielen with just 30 seconds remaining, granting Carolina a 23-20 advantage. However, Mayfield retaliated, leading the Bucs into McLaughlin’s range to tie the game and send it into overtime.
Mayfield did face adversity, briefly exiting the game after sustaining an ankle injury when Jadeveon Clowney stepped on him following a sack by Josey Jewell. Unfortunately for Mayfield, his first play back resulted in an interception.
In an interesting stat note, Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro entered the game holding the title as the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history but faced struggles in the second quarter, missing kicks from 38 and 45 yards. This came after he tied a franchise record with his 41st consecutive successful field goal at home.
In regard to injuries, the Buccaneers saw linebacker K.J. Britt (ankle) and safety Mike Edwards (hamstring) exit in the first half, while Panthers tight end Stephen Sullivan (knee) left during the second half. Additionally, umpire Carl Paganelli sustained an injury just 45 seconds into the game and had to be carted off, leading to a six-man officiating crew.
Looking ahead, the Buccaneers are set to host Las Vegas next Sunday, while the Panthers will head to Philadelphia on the same day.
