Buccaneers clinch third straight NFC South title with win،
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — “By any means necessary” — a phrase used in recent weeks by Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles and quarterback Baker Mayfield — has proven to be a viable strategy for defeat the Carolina Panthers 9-0 on Sunday to win the Bucs' third straight NFC South title.
It was also the second for Bowles and the first of the Buccaneers' post-Tom Brady era. They finished with a 9-8 record, after losing five of six games midway through the season.
“We have a locker room full of guys who are comfortable being left out,” said Mayfield, who signed with the Bucs this offseason on a one-year deal, hoping to resurrect his career. “This is the time we're most comfortable. All we wanted was to have a chance to get in. And now we're here, and we have to handle this the right way.”
The Cleveland Browns' first overall draft pick in 2018, Mayfield left the field at Bank of America Stadium to chants of “Baker! Baker! Baker!” just 13 months after the Panthers cut him on Dec. 5, 2023. What followed was a brief stint with the Los Angeles Rams and an offseason of uncertainty about where his career would take him next.
“Yeah, this room we're in right now is where I found out I wasn't going to be a part of the team anymore,” said Mayfield, who was released by the Panthers after seven games.
“There's a lot of things that bring me back here. … But yeah, to keep it about us, I can't say enough about this team, about the things we've been through this year, to handle it properly .and find a way to win five out of six at the end, get to the playoffs and win the division.”
Mayfield suffered not only a rib injury that disrupted the synchronicity of the offense, but also an ankle injury. He led three field goals with Chase McLaughlin – signed this offseason during the post-Brady purge – hitting kicks of 36, 57 and 39 yards. The defense, led by safety Antoine Winfield Jr., allowed the Panthers to venture into Buccaneers territory three times, but Carolina came away with zero points.
A possible touchdown by Panthers receiver DJ Chark was negated with a forced fumble by Winfield that was recovered by cornerback Jamel Dean. Late in the third quarter, Panthers kicker Matthew Wright missed a 52-yard field goal attempt wide left.
“Thank God for Winfield’s goal-line play,” Bowles said. “Thank God Chase made some baskets. We knew it was going to be a tough battle. We knew we had to play four quarters. We made fewer mistakes and we won a division title.”
Winfield, who also had a sack, a tackle for a loss and a quarterback hit, made a touchdown tackle on a 20-yard run by Bryce Young in the fourth quarter. An illegal formation by the Panthers offense took a Raheem Blackshear 28-yard touchdown run off the board. Buccaneers outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka forced a fumble that was recovered by defensive lineman Greg Gaines on the next play.
“I saw him charge, and I was like, ‘I have to hit that elbow!’” Tryon-Shoyinka said. “You just can't paint a perfect picture like that. It's an incredible way to go out.”
The Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints finished tied at 9-8, but Tampa Bay had the higher winning percentage in joint games, which served as a tiebreaker. Had the Bucs lost, the Saints, who beat the Bucs 23-13 in Week 17, would have won the division with their 48-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Before the start of the regular season, ESPN Analytics gave the Bucs just a 13% chance of reaching the playoffs. Their +400 odds of reaching the playoffs were the third longest in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
“No one turned on the other,” Bowles said. “Everyone battened down the hatches. We knew we had work to do and mistakes to correct, and when everyone shut us out, we didn't do it.”
Outside linebacker Shaq Barrett, who is returning from a groin injury, said “it feels good to prove the doubters and the naysayers wrong. … But it feels good to know that the guys in the locker room supporting each other and we came out.” there and played for each other. We knew what we could be.
