NFL

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

· National Football League
4-12, 1-6 Away
Final
14 - 48
9-7, 4-4 Home

Mayfield throws 5 TD passes and Bucs keep playoff, NFC South hopes alive with 48-14 rout of Panthers

Adam Thielen hauls in 40-yard TD for Panthers

Baker Mayfield and the offense purred, the defense tightened after yielding a touchdown just before halftime, and special teams stood out, too, in a 48-14 rout of the Carolina Panthers that kept the team's division and postseason hopes alive Sunday.

A little over seven hours later, the Bucs (9-7) got some outside assistance in their bid to make the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Tampa Bay’s fifth win in the past six weeks, combined with Atlanta’s overtime loss at Washington on Sunday night, gave the Bucs sole possession of first place in the NFC South.

The Buccaneers can clinch their fourth straight division title by beating New Orleans at home next Sunday.

“We're just trying to get to the playoffs,” coach Todd Bowles said, shrugging off a question about how Sunday's win ensured a winning record in the regular season.

“If we can win next week and get a little help,” Bowles added, “that will mean a lot to me.”

Mayfield threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns without an interception for the Bucs, the only team in the NFC that's made the playoffs each of the past four seasons.

“He really played a heck of a ball game intelligently,” Bowles said. “We didn't turn it over offensively. We were very good on third down. He controlled the ball, spread it around, got everybody touches.”

Mayfield threw TD passes of 2 and 1 yards to Mike Evans, and Tampa Bay produced points on five straight first-half possessions to build a 27-7 lead. Jalen McMillan scored on receptions of 10 and 16 yards, linebacker J.J. Russell returned a blocked punt for a third-quarter TD and rookie Bucky Irving had another big game against Carolina with 120 yards rushing on 20 carries and four receptions for 77 yards.

“Any time you give him that many opportunities, good things are going to happen,” Mayfield said of Irving.

Irving went over 1,000 yards for the season (1,033) despite primarily being used as a backup to Rachaad White. The fourth-round draft pick ran for 152 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries against the NFL's 32nd-ranked run defense in Tampa Bay's 26-23 overtime win at Carolina on Dec. 1.

Meanwhile, Mayfield improved to 4-0 against Carolina since his former team released him two years ago. He completed 27 of 32 passes without an interception.

The Panthers played without leading rusher Chuba Hubbard, who was placed on injured reserve Saturday. Without him, the offense was almost totally dependent on quarterback Bryce Young, who tossed a pair of TD passes to Adam Thielen but was only 15 of 28 passing for 203 yards.

The Bucs sacked Young five times and limited Carolina to 39 yards rushing. Thielen scored on receptions of 17 and 40 yards in the first half and finished with five catches for 110 yards.

“We got outplayed. ... They were on fire today. They made it hard for us,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said.

“We have one more opportunity to finish,” Canales added, “so we have to regroup and have the discipline to go right back to work and finish on our terms.”

Closing in Evans had eight catches for 97 yards. He needs at least 85 yards receiving in next weekend's regular-season finale to tie Hall of Famer Jerry Rice's NFL record of 11 consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus yards receiving.

Injuries The Buccaneers played without S Antoine Winfield Jr (knee), TE Cade Otton (knee) and WR Sterling Shepard (hamstring/foot), who were inactive. ... Buccaneers CB Jamel Dean left in the first half with a knee injury and did not return.

Up next Panthers: Close the season at Atlanta next Sunday.

Buccaneers: Go for season series sweep of NFC South rival New Orleans at home next Sunday.

How can I watch Panthers vs. Buccaneers?

  • TV Channel: Panthers at Buccaneers 2021-22 NFL, week 17 is broadcasted nationally on CBS and NFL Sunday Ticket - Paramount+ NFL on CBS 2021 - Try it FREE!.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
    In Canada, viewers can watch Panthers vs. Buccaneers on DAZN.

Scoring Summary

TB TD 1st Period 11:35 Mike Evans 2 Yd pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin Kick)
CAR TD 1st Period 8:15 Adam Thielen 17 Yd pass from Bryce Young (Eddy Pineiro Kick)
TB FG 1st Period 1:13 Chase McLaughlin 23 Yd Field Goal
TB FG 2nd Period 10:31 Chase McLaughlin 34 Yd Field Goal
TB TD 2nd Period 8:19 Mike Evans 1 Yd pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin Kick)
TB TD 2nd Period 1:11 Jalen McMillan 10 Yd pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin Kick)
CAR TD 2nd Period 0:50 Adam Thielen 40 Yd pass from Bryce Young (Eddy Pineiro Kick)
TB TD 3rd Period 5:48 Payne Durham 5 Yd pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin Kick)
TB TD 3rd Period 5:23 J.J. Russell 23 Yd Return of Blocked Punt (Chase McLaughlin Kick)
TB TD 4th Period 13:30 Jalen McMillan 16 Yd pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/car.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCAR https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/tb.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originTB
13 1st Downs 33
10 Passing 1st downs 17
2 Rushing 1st downs 14
1 1st downs from penalties 2
2-9 3rd down efficiency 10-14
0-1 4th down efficiency 0-0
46 Total Plays 74
204 Total Yards 551
4.4 Yards per Play 7.4
10 Total Drives 9
165 Passing 349
15/28 Comp/Att 27/32
5.0 Yards per pass 10.3
0 Interceptions thrown 0
5-38 Sacks-Yards Lost 2-10
39 Rushing 202
13 Rushing Attempts 40
3.0 Yards per rush 5.1
1-1 Red Zone (Made-Att) 5-8
4-30 Penalties 5-40
0 Turnovers 0
0 Fumbles lost 0
0 Interceptions thrown 0
0 Defensive / Special Teams TDs 1
18:49 Possession 41:11
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Chris Godwin, WR Questionable Mar 10
Markees Watts, LB Questionable Feb 12
Christian Izien, S Questionable Feb 12
Silas Dzansi, OT Questionable Feb 12
SirVocea Dennis, LB Questionable Feb 12
Carolina Panthers Carolina Panthers Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Austin Corbett, C Questionable Mar 8
Trevin Wallace, LB Questionable Feb 25
Xavier Legette, WR Questionable Feb 25
Chau Smith-Wade, CB Questionable Feb 10
DJ Johnson, LB Questionable Feb 10

Game Information

Raymond James Stadium

Location: Tampa, FL
Attendance: 64,434 · Capacity:

2024 NFC South Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Tampa Bay 10 7 .588 0 502 385
Atlanta 8 9 .471 0 389 423
Carolina 5 12 .294 0 341 534
New Orleans 5 12 .294 0 338 398
Full Standings

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