(Tampa) Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers find themselves in the tricky situation of having to support the New Orleans Saints. The Carolina Panthers, meanwhile, are cheering on the Atlanta Falcons.
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The winner of the Southern section of the National Association will post a losing record and will be crowned at home, in front of his television.
Mayfield threw a touchdown pass to Cade Otton, Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals and the Buccaneers avoided elimination with a tough 16-14 win over the Panthers on Saturday in a pouring rain.
The Buccaneers (8-9) need a win or tie from the Saints (6-10) against the Falcons (7-9) on Sunday to clinch a fifth straight section title.
If the Falcons win, the Panthers (8-9) will win their first sectional title since head coach Ron Rivera and quarterback Cam Newton led them to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl appearance 10 years ago.
The Buccaneers have the advantage in the event of a tie with the Panthers. But the Panthers have the edge in a tie with the Falcons if they also finish with an 8-9 record.
“I never thought I would one day support the Saints,” Bucs veteran Lavonte David said.
“A draw qualifies us too,” Mayfield said with a smirk.
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles plans to watch the game at home. Mayfield said some players were considering throwing a party to follow him.
“I think we’ll all be on the edge of our seats,” Panthers head coach Dave Canales said. We hope the Falcons will win, but at the same time, we at least have that hope. We also have to focus on ourselves and make sure we give the best of ourselves in these decisive moments. »
Before today, the Buccaneers were 0-8 in games where Mayfield threw an interception.
“It was a courageous performance,” admitted Bowles. We gave ourselves a chance. That’s all we could have hoped for. »
After blocking McLaughlin’s 38-yard field goal attempt with just over five minutes remaining, the Panthers pulled within 16-14 on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Young to Jalen Coker with 2:27 left in the final quarter.
On third down and four yards to go, Mayfield threw a short pass to Otton who gained 20 yards, extending Tampa Bay’s offensive streak and running out the clock.
The Panthers got the ball back on their own three, with 18 seconds left and no timeouts remaining. The game ended with a series of desperate lateral passes that resulted in a fumble.
Mayfield connected with Otton for an 18-yard touchdown pass, giving the Buccaneers a 7-0 lead on their first possession for the third straight game. It was Otton’s first touchdown this season.
Trailing 10-0, the Panthers quickly took advantage of a Christian Rozeboom interception to score. Rozeboom raced upfield 20 yards to the Tampa Bay 19. Young then found Tommy Tremble for an eight-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 10-7.
Late in the first half, Jacob Parrish intercepted a pass from Young, and McLaughlin made a 36-yard field goal to lead 13-7 at halftime
McLaughlin then made a 48-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, widening the lead for the Bucs.
