Overview
- With 11:16 remaining and the ball at Tampa Bay's 20-yard line, Rico Dowdle slipped on a flea-flicker exchange, fumbled, and the Buccaneers recovered.
- Dave Canales said he anticipated a single-high coverage look and called the play as an aggressive shot he still endorsed.
- He cited the wet field for the miscue and declined to detail the play's design to preserve competitive information.
- Carolina scored on its next drive, but Tampa Bay bled most of the clock and closed out a 16-14 victory.
- A win would have clinched the NFC South for the Panthers; instead they await Falcons–Saints, with an Atlanta win giving Carolina the tiebreaker and a Saints win favoring Tampa Bay.