– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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CHARLOTTE — One week ago, Baker Mayfield was in his element as the jokester and troll that he revels in being publicly, from mimicking Italian hand gestures in the New York City area — provoking strong, negative reactions from the opposing fans who lustily booed — to admitting he had never done an ancestry check to see if he actually has Italian in his heritage. But this Sunday, all the jokes went away when his team fell behind with 30 seconds remaining, and what occurred afterward proved that any DNA testing will surely reveal the genes of a born leader.
Mayfield led the Buccaneers down the field in the final 30 seconds of regulation to set up Chase McLaughlin’s game-tying field goal on the final play of regulation, and Tampa Bay’s kicker soon booted the 30-yard game-winner in overtime for a thrilling 26-23 victory over the Carolina Panthers inside Bank of America Stadium late Sunday evening. The win, plus Atlanta’s home defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers, moves Tampa Bay into a first-place tie atop the NFC South at 6-6, though the Falcons have the tiebreaker due to a season sweep of the Buccaneers.
Adam Thielen caught 25-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Young to give the Panthers a 23-20 lead with 30 seconds remaining before Mayfield three passes — and also scrambled for a 10-yard gain to put Tampa in Carolina territory — on the final drive of the fourth quarter to set up McLaughlin’s successful 51-yard field goal to force the extra session.
Carolina’s momentum on offense initially carried over into overtime, especially after McLaughlin missed a 55-yard field goal in the first possession of the extra session. Thielen made a one-handed catch to move the Panthers inside of Tampa Bay’s 35-yard line, only needing a field goal to win. On the next play, however, running back Chuba Hubbard fumbled and Tampa Bay’s Yaya Diaby recovered at the Buccaneers’ 29.
Five plays later, the game was over. On the second play of the drive, Mayfield hit Mike Evans for 21 yards, and the Rachaad White broke free for a 38-yard run to set up a first-and-goal from the 10. A kneeldown from Mayfield to set up the ball preceded McLaughlin’s game-winning kick — and the Buccaneers’ great escape.
“The football gods were kind to us. The first half of the season, we didn’t finish those games,” Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said. “First half of the season we wouldn’t have finished that game out. Did a heck of a job fighting back all game. It was a tough game. They played tough, we played tough. We made mistakes in the first half of the season and this game, [but] we pulled it out. They learned some mental toughness.”
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Sunday afternoon’s game, with photos taken by North Carolina-based photographer William Anthony. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page, Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 28 pictures in total.
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