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.
Baker Mayfield threw a touchdown pass to Cade Otton, Chase McLaughlin made three field goals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers avoided elimination with a tough 16-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Saturday in a pouring rain.
The Buccaneers (8-9) need a win or tie from the New Orleans Saints (6-10) against the Atlanta Falcons (7-9) on Sunday to clinch a fifth straight sectional 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 advantage in the event of a tie with the Falcons if they also finish with an 8-9 record.
The Bucs’ hopes of qualifying therefore rest on a victory for the Saints against the Falcons on Sunday.
Before today, the Buccaneers were 0-8 in games where Mayfield threw an interception.
Return of the Panthers
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 remaining 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 kicked 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.
