Bryce Young, Panthers Excite Fans as Win vs. Bucs Helps NFL Playoff Bracket Outlook

Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers defeated Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23–20 at home on Sunday to take over first place in the NFC South.

A late field goal gave Carolina a three-point lead before the defense sealed the win with an interception on second-and-9 with 49 seconds remaining.

▶️ Full Bucs-Panthers Recap

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With the victory, the Panthers improved to 8–7, taking sole possession of first place in the division. Tampa Bay fell to 7–8, extending its losing streak to three games. The loss dropped the Buccaneers out of a playoff spot and out of the Wild Card picture.

Young finished with 191 passing yards and two touchdowns, completing 21-of-32 passes. He connected with Tetairoa McMillan for a touchdown and 73 yards and found Ja'Tavion Sanders for another score.

Fans reacted enthusiastically to Carolina's big win, turning their attention toward a potential playoff run.

Buccaneers quarterback Mayfield finished with 145 passing yards and one touchdown but threw a game-losing interception, completing 18-of-26 passes.

Carolina and Tampa Bay will meet once more to close out the regular season in Week 18, with major playoff implications at stake in the NFC South. That matchup could decide the division if the Panthers drop their Week 17 game against a tough Seattle team and the Buccaneers defeat Miami next Sunday.