Bucs fall out of 1st as miscommunication leads to loss to Panthers Some of the biggest moments in sports are defined by physical mistakes. But mental errors are much more egregious. This is how bad it is for the Bucs: Two of their best players were responsible for a blunder that resulted in a game-sealing interception in the final minute of Sunday's 23-20 loss at Carolina. The Bucs were in field-goal range when rookie Emeka Egbuka had a false start to take them out of it. Baker Mayfield left the pocket on the next play with grass in front of him. Receiver Mike Evans believed he was going to run. But the quarterback threw behind Evans, and Panthers safety Lathan Ransom intercepted the pass with 42 seconds remaining. Mayfield agreed with Todd Bowles' assessment after the game that it was a miscommunication between the quarterback and receiver. “Unfortunately, it was," Mayfield said. “I was just trying to find a lane to step through and make the throw to him, and he thought I was going to scramble, which, based on some of the scrambles earlier (Sunday), you can't blame him. It's just a sucky situation." Their sixth loss in seven games dropped the Bucs (7-8) out of first place in the NFC South, one game behind the Panthers (8-7). Yet, remarkably Tampa Bay still would win the NFC South with a victory next Sunday at Miami and by beating the Panthers in the regular-season finale Jan. 4 at Raymond James Stadium. “We understand that," Bowles said. “The biggest thing is our confidence is good and our camaraderie is good, but that's not enough right now. It's the execution that we're lacking and missing a few things here and there. We shot ourselves in the foot enough (Sunday) to lose this ball game by three." Instead of having a chance to clinch the division with a win against the Dolphins, the Bucs are back to the brink of elimination with another loss despite a 5-1 start. It wasn't as if the Panthers played much better Sunday. But they didn't beat themselves the way the Bucs did. Despite having receivers Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and Egbuka all in the lineup, along with running back Bucky Irving, for the second straight game, Bowles' game plan was to make sure they had at least 30 rushing attempts. Part of that strategy may have been to win time of possession and keep the Bucs' leaky defense on the sideline. And the Bucs did run the football well: 169 yards on 33 carries (a 5.1-yard average). Mayfield accounted for 49 of those yards on four scrambles, but Tampa Bay held the football nine minutes longer than Carolina. “It was by design to play complementary football, but at the same time, you know, (the Panthers) don't play well when you rush over 30 attempts per game, statistically speaking," Bowles said. “I think we had some runs in there and we had a chance to throw it, but we controlled the time of possession and the clock all the way down to the end." But while Bowles played it safe on offense, in one of the game's biggest moments he rolled the dice and lost big. With the Bucs leading 10-6 with only 12 seconds left until halftime and the Panthers out of timeouts, Bowles ordered Cover Zero with no safety and brought the house on a blitz. He knew that to preserve a field-goal attempt, Carolina quarterback Bryce Young would have to throw the ball to the end zone or out of bounds to stop the clock. But Bowles blitzed anyway, and Tetairoa McMillan got behind cornerback Jamel Dean for a 22-yard touchdown reception and a 13-10 halftime lead. “No timeouts," Bowles explained. “They had to throw in bounds or they have to throw it out of the end zone, and (Dean) had to be back to make that play and he did not make it." Dean didn't make excuses: “I could've played it better," he said. A familiar refrain was heard everywhere in the Bucs locker room after the game: The team is making too many mistakes, but the players are sticking together and feel they can still pull out of their tailspin. But they also took accountability. Tackle Luke Goedeke was flagged four times, including two false starts and a holding penalty. Another penalty for being ineligible downfield wasn't accepted. “Me personally, I did not play a very good game (Sunday)," Goedeke said. “I'm extremely frustrated. But again, you have to have a short memory in this league." In his return to the lineup Dec. 11 against the Falcons, Evans had six catches for 132 yards. But Sunday, his five receptions went for only 31 yards. Mayfield passed for 145 yards with a touchdown and the killer interception. “We've got to win out to win the division and get into the playoffs," Mayfield said. “It's as clear as it can be. Wish we could've taken care of business (Sunday), but the situation doesn't change. Yeah, it sucks. Too many penalties on offense (Sunday). We keep shooting ourselves in the foot, and we've got to finish with seven in the red zone instead of three. “Same story, different day." Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times, published 22 December 2025