Bryce Young, Panthers Called Out by Fans After Failing to Clinch Playoff Spot vs. Bucs

Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers failed to clinch the NFC South and a playoff spot after a 16-14 road loss to Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday.

The loss snapped Tampa Bay's four-game losing streak and improved the Bucs to 8-9, while the Panthers also fell to 8-9. The win kept Tampa Bay's postseason hopes alive, with both teams awaiting the outcome of Sunday's matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons.

Tampa Bay needs a Saints win over Atlanta to secure a playoff berth, while Carolina can still clinch a postseason spot if the Falcons defeat New Orleans on Sunday.

Young threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns with one interception while completing 24-of-35 passes. He connected with Tommy Tremble and Jalen Coker for scores.

Mayfield battled in the win, finishing with 203 yards, one touchdown and one interception while completing 16-of-22 passes. Bucky Irving added 85 rushing yards.

Fans called out Young and the Panthers following the loss to the Buccaneers, as Carolina failed to clinch a playoff spot amid complaints about questionable officiating.

Tampa Bay scored on both of their first-quarter possessions and limited the Carolina Panthers to just 2:07 of possession in the opening period to build a 10-0 lead.

A second-quarter interception by Mayfield set up Carolina's first score, but it was followed by an interception from Young that led to a Buccaneers field goal, sending Tampa Bay into halftime with a 13-7 advantage.

The Panthers opened the third quarter by missing a 54-yard field goal that would have cut the deficit to three points, and both defenses took over as neither team scored in the period.

The fourth quarter was chaotic. Carolina fumbled early, then blocked a Tampa Bay field-goal attempt before scoring a touchdown to pull within 16-14 with just under 2:30 remaining.

Despite the late push, the Panthers were unable to complete the comeback and will await the outcome of Sunday's NFC South matchup between the Falcons and Saints to try and clinch their first trip back to the playoffs since the 2017 season.