Bucs Hold off Cardinals to Maintain Hold on First Place The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense got the stop it needed in the fourth quarter to hold on to a hard-fought 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Actually, it got two. SirVocea Dennis' breakup of a fourth-and-two pass intended for Michael Wilson ended the Cardinals' last chance at a comeback after they had rallied from a 17-3 deficit with two second-half touchdown passes by Jacoby Brissett. That stop meant Chase McLaughlin's 57-yard field goal midway through the final period stood up as the game-winning points; McLaughlin got his shot after Anthony Nelson had dropped RB Bam Knight on a fourth-and-one run from the Cardinals' 39. The win snapped Tampa Bay's three-game losing streak and improved its record to 7-5. That's still good enough for first place in the NFC South, but barely. The upstart Carolina Panthers pulled off an impressive 31-28 win over the visiting Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, who had won six in a row and came into the game with the NFC's best record. The Panthers are now 7-6 and just a half-game behind the Bucs as they head into their bye week. Tampa Bay and Carolina will face off twice in the season's final month, in Charlotte in Week 16 and in Tampa in Week 18. "It's finally good to get on the 'W' side," said Todd Bowles. "It's tough to win in this league. It was a gutsy, grind-it-out win and we came out on the other end." The Bucs' win also broke an all-time tie in the head-to-head series with Arizona, as they know lead it, 12-11. In addition, the Buccaneers improved their record in games played in Week 13 and beyond to 23-6 since the 2020 season. Mayfield said his team is once again in "playoff mode" as the stretch run begins. "I said to you guys on Wednesday: In my mind, it's playoff mentality from here on out. It's not going to change. We're in control of our destiny, but if we continue that mentality of a playoff push things should take care of itself. But it's not going to be easy. We're going to have to take it one day at a time, and now we have division opponents so it's even more important. We're going to prepare like we did and go from there." Brissett threw for 301 yards on 40 attempts but was intercepted in the red zone on the Cardinals' first possession and took two critical third-down sacks, one each by NT Vita Vea and OLB Yaya Diaby. His favorite target was TE Trey McBride, who caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown, and he also found Knight on a 15-yard scoring pass in the third quarter. Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield completed 18 of 28 passes for 194 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Mayfield played despite suffering a left shoulder injury a week earlier that kept him from fully participating in practice until Friday. He was even willing to run, taking off on three non-kneeldowns for 25 yards, including a 21-yard jaunt in the second quarter that converted a third-and-three on the Bucs' first touchdown drive. That one ended in unusual fashion, as Mayfield threw a third-down two-yard touchdown pass to T Tristan Wirfs on a tackle-eligible trick play. "It feels pretty good," said Mayfield of his shoulder after the game, in which he was sacked twice and tackled hard once on a fourth-quarter scramble. "Hopefully I continue to improve. I really didn't take any direct hits on it. To me, that's the most important part." RB Bucky Irving returned to action after missing seven games with foot and shoulder injuries and immediately provided the Bucs' offense a boost with 83 yards from scrimmage and the Bucs' other touchdown, a nifty 13-yard run in the third quarter that gave the Bucs a 17-3 lead. In addition, WR Chris Godwin, who just returned from his own lengthy absence last week and was on a pitch count in that game, was a much bigger part of the attack with three catches for 78 yards. S Antoine Winfield Jr. produced one of the game's two turnovers, both by the Buccaneers, making a diving interception of a pass deflected by CB Jamel Dean at the Buccaneers' nine on Arizona' first possession. In the third quarter, DL Logan Hall forced a fumble by Knight that was recovered by S Tykee Smith. Winfield also posted seven tackles and a quarterback hit, while Dennis lead the defense with 10 tackles and a quarterback hit in addition to his big play on Arizona's last snap. The home team gave up 260 yards of offense and two long-scoring drives in the second half but were called on to make one final stop after the Bucs punted back to Arizona with just under two minutes left in regulation. "Guys were locked in today," said Mayfield. "We didn't make enough plays [on offense]. We would have loved to have ended it on our own terms, but defense and special teams played a hell of a game today, kept us in there for the long haul and we ended up winning. It doesn't have to be pretty." That final Arizona possession started at its own nine-yard line after a 59-yard punt by Riley Dixon and a quick tackle of return man Greg Dortch by WR Kam Johnson. As Mayfield noted, special teams proved to be a winning edge for the Buccaneers overall, with Dixon averaging 48.0 yards with an excellent 46.8-yard net on five kicks, three of which were downed inside Arizona's 20-yard line. McLaughlin hit both of his field goal attempts, including the 57-yarder that made him nine-for-nine from 50 and beyond this season, and 41 of 48 in his career. Johnson returned two punts for 23 yards and the Bucs' punt coverage team held Dortch to six yards on three returns. "Not just punt coverage; I thought kickoff coverage with the exception of one [return] did a good job. Riley did a very good job of pinning them back and obviously Chase made the long field goal. Those guys covered and they got after it a little bit." The Buccaneers' three-game homestand continues next Sunday with a visit from the New Orleans Saints, followed by a Thursday-night outing against Atlanta in Week 15. Both the Saints and Falcons lost on Sunday to drop to 2-10 and 4-8, respectively. While that home-and-away series with Carolina looms at the end of the season, the Buccaneers are focused on the Saints and an attempt to get a season sweep in Week 14. "We're going to be like this every week," said Bowles. "It's playoff mode and it's playoff time. We've got to embrace the grind and embrace the pressure, and we've got to execute and make plays in those situations. Honestly, we just got the win. We'll worry about us today, worry about the Saints tomorrow. We don't play Carolina until later on in the year; I'll worry about them then." The Buccaneers took a 10-3 lead into halftime, plus a 177-126 edge in total yards. Five first-half penalties and a couple ill-timed drops kept the Bucs' offense from pulling away, however, despite possessing the ball for more than 18 of the first 30 minutes. Arizona gained 73 yards on its first possession, but that one ended in a red zone interception by Winfield. The Bucs' defense then turned up the pressure on Brissett on the next two possessions, forcing a pair of three-and-outs, before the Cardinals' managed a successful two-minute drill to hit a field goal as time expired in the half. That tied for the fewest points the Buccaneers have allowed in a first half this season; they did the same to New Orleans in Week Eight in an eventual 23-3 victory. The Bucs got the ball to start the game, with WR Kam Johnson getting the opening kickoff out to the 27-yard line. A White run and a short pass to TE Cade Otton put the Bucs in an early third-and-four, but that became third-and-nine after a Luke Goedeke false start. On the next snap, blitzing S Budda Baker was on Mayfield instantly but the quarterback spun out his grasp, sprinted right and threw a dart to Godwin at the sticks. Godwin broke a tackle and continued up the sideline for a gain of 25 to get the ball across midfield. Another false start and a broken play in which White lost four yards put the offense far behind the sticks before a quick slant to Egbuka got nine to bring it back to third-and-10. Mayfield threw a laser down the middle of field to Egbuka, who was past the line to gain, but the rookie had the ball bounce out of his hands. Riley Dixon's resulting punt was downed at the Arizona seven. Brissett opened Arizona's first impression with a quick out to WR Marvin Harrison Jr. for a gain of seven, then went right back to Harrison on a quick slant for a first down at the 25. On a play-action rollout, Brissett got the ball to TE Trey McBride for the first time, tacking on seven yards. Arizona's first handoff went to RB Bam Knight, who found the left corner for a gain of 16 and a first down at the Arizona 48. Knight broke a tackle on his next carry, two plays later, to create another first down at the Bucs' 41. Three plays later, on third-and-two, Brissett stood in against a blitz and got off a short pass off over the middle to Harrison for another first down at the 26. Two snaps later, Brissett tried to zip a dart into Michael Wilson over the middle but Dean deflected the pass and Winfield made a diving catch for an interception aft the Bucs' nine-yard line. Winfield got up and returned the turnover first yards to the 14. Irving's first carry since September went nowhere, as CB Will Johnson met him for a loss of one. Mayfield then hit Egbuka on an out for nine yards and Irving twisted his way past the line on third-and-two. Mayfield took a shot downfield on a deep corner route to WR Tez Johnson but it was out of reach. After an Irving run out of the shotgun for seven, a holding penalty on Tristan Wirfs erased a deep gain over the middle by Egbuka and made it third-and-13. An encroachment call on Arizona moved it up five yards but Mayfield was sacked on the next play by OLB Josh Sweat, a play that brought the first quarter to an end. After the ball was moved to the other half of the field, Dixon blasted a 56-yard punt that pushed the Cardinals back to their 23. S Tykee Smith dropped Knight after a gain of just one on a first-down carry and DL Logan Hall chased Brissett into a throwaway on second down. The Bucs collapsed the pocket quickly on third down and Brissett's scramble up the middle came up three yards short, leading to Arizona's first punt, which Kam Johnson ran back to the Tampa Bay 30. Irving picked his way for five yards on a swing pass to the left, then got four more on a twisty run, leaving the offense in third-and-inches. Sean Tucker came in to power it up the middle and past the line to gain, and a rollout pass to TE Payne Durham worked to the tune of 11 yards to the Arizona 48. Two plays later, Mayfield faked another handoff and then lobbed a deep pass over a Cardinals defender and into the hands of Godwin for a gain of 31 to the nine-yard line. The Bucs' first two plays after reaching first-and-goal accomplished little, and on third down Godwin dropped a pass that Mayfield had fit through multiple defenders at the back of the end zone. The Bucs settled for Chase McLaughlin's 25-yard field goal to open the scoring. WR Greg Dortch returned the Bucs' first kickoff of the game to the Arizona 30. Several pass-rushers had a shot at Brissett on first down before Diaby finally dropped him for a two-yard sack, and a patented Winfield blitz forced a quick throwaway. The pass rush got to Brissett again on third down, with Vea eventually dropping the QB for a loss of eight. Kam Johnson returned Matt Haack's 44-yard punt for 15 yards to the midfield stripe. An Irving run and a Mayfield scramble put the ball at the Arizona 43, and when the pocket collapsed on him on third down he took off again and was able to dash all the way to the Arizona 22, running out of bounds with a 21-yard gain. White came back out to the Bucs' backfield and fought for five yards on first down, and a short pass to Egbuka left the Bucs in another third-and-three. An offensive pass interference call on Tez Johnson erased a touchdown catch-and-run by White and put the Bucs into a third-and-13. White took a handoff out of shotgun and weaved his way for 11 yards, prompting Bowles to leave the defense on the field on fourth-and-two as the two-minute warning arrived. On fourth down, Mayfield threw a very hard pass over the middle to Shepard, who hauled it in with defenders all around him for a first down at the nine. A couple of jump cuts helped Irving work through traffic on his first-down carry, getting it all the way down to the one. However, a holding call on Durham erased an Irving touchdown run and moved the ball back to the 11. A late-developing outlet pass to White got the ball back to the two. The Bucs then pulled out some trickery, with Charlie Heck coming in to play left tackle and Wirfs declaring eligible on the end of the line. Wirfs briefly blocked his man before releasing into the end zone, where Mayfield hit him for the two-yard score. Tampa Bay's coverage unit stopped WR Andre Baccellia at the Arizona 23. Under quick pressure from LB SirVocea Dennis, Brissett threw the ball away wildly and was flagged for intentional grounding. A short pass over the middle to RB Michael Carter put Arizona into a third-and-nine, and the Bucs used their first timeout hoping to get the ball before halftime. Brissett foiled those plans by finding Harrison deep over the middle for a gain of 21. A deep out to Wilson tacked on 10 more to the Bucs' 45. One more catch by TE Elijah Higgins put the ball at the 34 and the Cardinals spiked the ball with two seconds left. K Chad Ryland drilled a 52-yard field goal straight down the middle but not before the Bucs had called a timeout. He got another shot at it and did the exact same thing to avoid the first-half shutout. Arizona got a boost to start the second half as Baccellia returned the kickoff all the way to the Arizona 42. Knight broke a tackle in the backfield to find the right edge for a 13-yard run into Bucs territory. Knight found a gap up the middle on his next carry but Hall poked the ball out and Tykee Smith immediately fell on it at the 40. A nice run around right end by Tucker was nullified by offsetting penalties. Mayfield's next pass to Egbuka was incomplete, and Tucker's next run was met in the backfield for a loss of two. Mayfield started to scramble away from trouble on third down but could see no solution and just threw the ball away. Dixon's punt was fair caught at the Arizona 20 but a holding call moved it back to the 10. Brissett got the Cardinals some breathing room with a quick slant to Wilson for 15 yards, but his deep throw to McBride was out of reach. A receiver screen to Dortch was well-blocked for another 12-yard gain, and two plays later a flare pass to Knight led to a 13-yard pick-up into the Bucs' half of the field. A swing pass to Carter found him wide open for another big gain to the Bucs' 32. Three plays later, on third-and-three, Brissett took a shot to the end zone to Harrison but it was incomplete and Ryland came out to try a 43-yard field goal. This one he pushed to the right to keep the Bucs up by seven. Tampa Bay's came back onto the field at its 33-yard line and Irving pushed through a pack for two yards on first down. A rollout pass on second down was well-covered and incomplete, but on third down the Bucs set up max protection for Mayfield, giving him time to rip a pass downfield to Egbuka for a gain of 23 to the Arizona 42. Two plays later, Godwin ran a curl into the left flat and was able to sprint downfield after the catch for 22 yards to the 18. Two plays later, Irving got a handoff headed towards the middle of the pack but then dashed out to the left and cut up through a seam to make it all the way to the end zone on a 13-yard run. Arizona's next drive started at its 28 and Brissett immediately hit Harrison on a deep out for a gain of 17. DL C.J. Brewer got a hand on Brissett's next pass but the resulting wobbler still made it to McBride for 18 yards and a first down at the Bucs' 37. Two plays later, Knight found a gap over right guard and dashed upfield to the Bucs' 22. Two snaps after that, Brissett eluded two would-be sackers in the backfield and sprinted left, eventually throwing on the run to a wide-open Knight for a 15-yard score. Kam Johnson muffed the ensuing kickoff and thus had to take a knee in the end zone, putting the ball at the Bucs' 20. A pass to Irving in the right flat turned into a 20-yard gain to get the drive started as the third quarter expired. The fourth period started with a five-yard Irving run up the middle, but Mayfield had to throw the ball away on second down. Mayfield then dialed up a very deep shot to Shepard on third down and it was broken up by S Jalen Thompson. Kam Johnson was on the spot to drag Dortch down after he field Dixon's punt at the Arizona 12 with 14 minutes left in regulation. The Bucs swarmed over Carter for a loss of two on first down, and a quick pass to Higgins left Arizona in third-and-four at the 18. Carter caught a flare pass short of the line to gain but broke three tackles to get six yards and an improbable third-down conversion. Three plays later, on third-and-one, the Cardinals tried to catch the Bucs napping and threw deep to Wilson but it was well-covered and incomplete. The Cardinals went for it on fourth-and-inches with Brissett pitching left to Knight, but Anthony Nelson wrapped him up and dropped him just short of the sticks. The Bucs thus took over on downs in Arizona territory. Irving made half the Cardinals defense miss on a first-down flare pass but all for just three yards, and his next run was stopped for a loss of three. A third-down seam pass to Egbuka was too tall but McLaughlin came out to drill a 57-yard field goal and make it a two-score game. The Bucs' coverage team didn't let Baccellia to get past the 27 but Carter pounded for six yards on first down. Brissett's next pass found McBride in a hole in the zone to get the ball across midfield. A pass out to the right to Wilson was good for 10 more, and Carter took a pitch left for eight to the Bucs' 29. After getting a first down at the 25, Brissett ran up the middle two plays later for another set of downs at the 15. After one shot into the end zone missed, Brissett got the next one between two defenders to McBride for the 15-yard score. Kam Johnson was dropped quickly at the Bucs' 21 on his ensuing kickoff return, and a swing pass to White only got two. Tez Johnson caught a rollout pass on second down and slipped past two tacklers to get five more. The Bucs trusted Irving on third-and-three and he bounced off tacklers long enough to get past the sticks. After Irving's next run got nothing, the Cardinals used their first timeout with 2:38 left. Mayfield threw to Irving on second down for no gain and the Cardinals used a second timeout. Mayfield had to scramble on third down and was wrapped up five yards short of the line to gain as the two-minute warning arrived. Dixon then hit a 58-yard punt and Markees Watts dropped Dortch at the Arizona nine. A swing pass under pressure to Dortch was good for three but kept the clock running, as it did after a five-yard underneath pass to Carter. Brissett's third-down pass was incomplete, and Dennis broke up a fourth-down pass to Wilson to end the possession. Since there were only 52 seconds left and the Cardinals were down to one last timeout, the Bucs were able to finish the game with a trio of kneel-downs. Scott Smith, Buccaneers.com, published 30 November 2025