NFC South will be determined by Saints-Falcons game after Buccaneers keep season alive vs Panthers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept their play live with a 16-14 triumph implicit the Carolina Panthers Saturday. Now the NFC South rubric volition beryllium determined successful Sunday's crippled betwixt the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, who person agelong been eliminated from playoff contention. 

Carolina had a accidental to clinch the part with a triumph implicit Tampa Bay, but present the Panthers indispensable beryllium connected the Falcons to bushed the Saints to sphere the part pb utilizing tiebreakers. 

If the Saints win, Tampa Bay volition instrumentality the part by virtuousness of the tiebreaker. 

The Buccaneers are hoping for their 5th consecutive part title, portion the Panthers are hoping for their archetypal part rubric since manager Ron Rivera and backmost Cam Newton led them to a 15-1 grounds and a Super Bowl quality since 2015. Every different squad successful the NFC South has won the part astatine slightest erstwhile since Carolina's past part title. 

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Lavonte David (54) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates aft a fumble betterment against the Carolina Panthers astatine Raymond James Stadium Jan. 3, 2026, successful Tampa, Fla.  (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Carolina's anticipation of clinching that rubric connected Saturday ended arsenic Baker Mayfield threw a touchdown walk to Cade Otton and Chase McLaughlin kicked 3 tract goals to gain the two-point win, leaving the Panthers with astir nary clip to triumph the crippled connected the game's last series.

After McLaughlin’s 38-yard tract extremity effort was blocked with conscionable implicit 5 minutes remaining, Carolina got wrong 16-14 connected Bryce Young’s 8-yard TD walk to Jalen Coker with 2:27 left.

Mayfield tossed a abbreviated walk to Otton for a 20-yard summation connected 3rd and 4 to widen Tampa Bay’s thrust and tally disconnected much time. The Panthers got the shot backmost astatine their 3-yard enactment with 18 seconds and nary timeouts. The crippled ended successful a hopeless bid of laterals that resulted successful a fumble.

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Bucky Irving (7) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs with the shot against the Carolina Panthers astatine Raymond James Stadium Jan. 3, 2026, successful Tampa, Fla.  (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Mayfield connected with Otton connected an 18-yard TD walk for a 7-0 pb arsenic the Bucs scored a touchdown connected their opening thrust for the 3rd consecutive game. It was Otton’s archetypal TD of the season.

Down 10-0, the Panthers turned Christian Rozeboom’s interception into a speedy score. Rozeboom returned the prime 20 yards to Tampa Bay’s 19. Young past connected with Tommy Tremble connected an 8-yard TD walk to chopped it to 10-7.

Jacob Parrish picked disconnected Young precocious successful the 2nd half, and the Buccaneers got a 36-yard tract extremity from McLaughlin to instrumentality a 13-7 halftime lead.

McLaughlin kicked a 48-yard tract extremity aboriginal successful the 4th to widen Tampa Bay’s lead.

Carolina’s Ryan Fitzgerald missed a 54-yarder connected the opening thrust of the 3rd quarter.

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Christian Izien (29) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates against the Carolina Panthers astatine Raymond James Stadium Jan. 3, 2026, successful Tampa, Fla. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Mayfield completed his archetypal six passes earlier misfiring connected a cross-field, 13-yard flip to Payne Durham, who was wide unfastened successful the extremity zone. The Bucs settled for McLaughlin’s 29-yard tract extremity and a 10-0 lead. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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