The Tampa Bay Bucs produced a win that was both ugly and desperately needed as they won an NFC South crown that very few pundits thought they would compete for.
The Bucs produced just 228 yards of offence and only three field goals, but it was enough to secure the division crown against the Panthers.
QB Baker Mayfield, signed for a mere $4-million to start for the Bucs after the retirement of Tom Brady was effusive in his praise of the defence. “I can’t say enough about our defense,” said Mayfield.
“A lot of guys stepped up and made big plays on defense. Offensively we ran the ball when we needed to. It wasn’t a pretty win by any means and there is room for improvement. But now that we’re in the playoffs, we’re division champs, let’s hit the reset button and go from there.”
Bucs close out division win
“There’s a lot of ways to skin a cat,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said. “The guys believed in each other. They never fed into the outside media. We wrote our own narrative. We worked hard, we practiced hard and they got it done.”
For the Panthers the 2023 season has been nothing short of brutal. Finishing 2-15, having fired their head coach, and a rookie QB who has definitely struggled, albeit with a poor OL and very limited weapons.
“This locker room will change,” Panthers interim head coach Chris Tabor said. Tabor still supports Bryce Young though. “I think when he is in year 12 and winning a lot of games and slicing people up a little bit, I think he will remember this first year and probably look back and say, ‘you know what, it stunk at the time but this helped me get to where I am at,’” Tabor said. “He has a really bright future.”
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 14 | 11 |
| Passing 1st downs | 6 | 2 |
| Rushing 1st downs | 8 | 8 |
| 1st downs from penalties | 0 | 1 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 6-16 | 2-12 |
| 4th down efficiency | 0-0 | 2-2 |
| Total Plays | 64 | 50 |
| Total Yards | 228 | 199 |
| Total Drives | 10 | 9 |
| Yards per Play | 3.6 | 4.0 |
| Passing | 115 | 68 |
| Comp-Att | 20-32 | 11-18 |
| Yards per pass | 3.3 | 3.2 |
| Interceptions thrown | 0 | 0 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost | 3-22 | 3-26 |
| Rushing | 113 | 131 |
| Rushing Attempts | 29 | 29 |
| Yards per rush | 3.9 | 4.5 |
| Red Zone (Made-Att) | 0-3 | 0-0 |
| Penalties | 3-15 | 3-20 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 2 |
| Interceptions thrown | 0 | 0 |
| Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 | 0 |
| Possession | 31:24 | 28:36 |
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