Overview
- Tampa Bay fell 23-20 at Carolina when Baker Mayfield was intercepted by safety Lathan Ransom in the final minute, a play he and Todd Bowles described as a miscommunication with Mike Evans.
- The defeat dropped the Buccaneers to 7-8 and lifted the Panthers to 8-7 and first place in the NFC South.
- Despite losing six of their last seven, the Buccaneers would secure the division by beating the Dolphins in Week 17 and the Panthers in Week 18, with predictive models still giving them a slight edge if they win out.
- Mayfield’s passing slump continued with multiple sub-200-yard games and a third straight contest with an interception; the Bucs are 1-7 when they commit a turnover.
- Bowles pointed to penalties, missed red-zone chances and overall execution — saying “our biggest enemy right now is us” — as outside calls for his job grow louder.