Live updates: Bucs rally to beat Panthers, clinch NFC South

If you are viewing this story via our mobile app and are unable to see videos and tweets, click here.

Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes to Mike Evans and ran for another score as the Bucs beat the Panthers 30-24 Sunday at Raymond James Stadium to clinch the NFC South championship.

Tampa Bay (8-8) won back-to-back division titles for the first time in franchise history and earned a home game for the wild-card round of the playoffs.

Brady and Evans connected on scoring passes of 63, 57 and 30 yards, all deep down the right sideline, as the Bucs rallied from a 14-point, second-quarter deficit.

Sam Darnold threw three touchdown passes in a losing effort for the Panthers, who led 14-0 late in the second quarter and 21-10 early in the fourth.

Anthony Nelson forced a Darnold fumble in the closing minutes, and Vita Vea recovered at the Carolina 7. After Leonard Fournette gained 6 yards on a run up the middle, Brady scored on a quarterback sneak, giving Tampa Bay a nine-point lead.

Eddy Piñeiro kicked a 46-yard field goal with just over a minute remaining as the Panthers closed to within 30-24.

Carolina attempted an onside kick, but tight end Cade Otton recovered for Tampa Bay.

After the Bucs went three-and-out, punter Jake Camarda fielded a bad snap, scrambled to his left and somehow managed to get off a kick, avoiding giving the Panthers the ball in Bucs territory. Tampa Bay was penalized for an illegal man downfield, resulting in a re-kick, and Camarda pinned Carolina inside its 10-yard line.

Brady completed 34 of 45 passes for 432 yards and the three touchdowns with no interceptions. He also ran for a touchdown.

Evans, who dropped a deep pass early in the game, finished with 10 receptions on 12 targets for 207 yards and three scores. Chris Godwin caught all nine passes thrown his way, for 120 yards.

Inside linebacker Lavonte David led the Bucs’ defense with eight total tackles, including six unassisted and one for loss. Outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka had seven solo tackles, and inside linebacker Devin White had seven total tackles and a fumble recovery.

Here’s how it happened:

Going up-tempo

The Bucs went up-tempo, Tom Brady went up top, and Tampa Bay went up for the first time in the game midway through the fourth quarter.

Brady’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans deep down the right sideline — their third such connection in the game — gave the Bucs a 24-21 lead with 6:47 to play.

Earlier in the drive, a 12-yard pass to Chris Godwin gave the Bucs a first down at their 20-yard line. Going no-huddle, Brady went back to Godwin on the next play and picked up 8 more yards. A 10-yard pass to Leonard Fournette was good for 10 yards and another first down.

After a Fournette reception lost 2 yards, Brady hit Russell Gage over the middle for 21 yards to the Panthers 42. One play later, Cade Otton went high to snap a Brady pass for 12 yards and another first down at the 30.

Quick response

Three plays, 75 yards, six points.

Just over a minute after the Panthers moved out to an 11-point lead, Tom Brady again made it a one-score game with a 57-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans deep down the right sideline, his second of the game.

Brady and Evans hooked up on a 63-yard scoring play earlier in the game.

Brady’s two-point conversion pass for Chris Godwin was incomplete, leaving the Bucs behind 21-16 with just under 14 minutes remaining.

Giving Carolina Moore

With the Panthers clinging to a four-point lead late in the third quarter, DJ Moore took matters into his own hands.

The receiver caught caught two passes for 61 yards, including a 47-yard reception, and drew a defensive holding penalty, as Carolina drove 91 yards in seven plays to extend their lead.

The 47-yard reception from Sam Darnold moved the ball to the Bucs 31-yard line. After a holding penalty against Ikem Ekwonu moved the ball back to the 41, Moore drew a defensive holding penalty against safety Antoine Winfield Jr. to get 5 of them back.

Moore was at it again on the next play, taking a short pass 14 yards down the right sideline to the 22.

Three plays later, Darnold found Shi Smith over the middle for a 19-yard touchdown, putting the Panthers ahead 21-10 with 14:50 to play.

Playing takeaway

A Panthers team that was reeling at the end of the first half briefly stabilized itself on its first possession of the third quarter before again giving the ball away.

Sam Darnold scrambled for 8 yards and D’Onta Foreman ran over left guard for 2 to pick up a first down. After a Darnold incompletion, the quarterback found tight end Giovanni Ricci open deep down the middle for a 32-yard gain to the Bucs 41.

Darnold stayed aggressive, throwing deep down the middle for Stephen Sullivan, but his pass was intercepted by Bucs cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting at the Tampa Bay 2.

With Chris Godwin and Leonard Fournette doing much of the lifting, the Bucs drove 90 yards in 15 plays to the Carolina 8.

Godwin caught three passes for 37 yards, Fournette carried four times for 18 and Mike Evans had a 13-yard reception.

The Bucs converted fourth and 2 from the the Panthers 15 on a 5-yard pass from Brady to Russell Gage.

But the reprieve was short-lived.

Tampa Bay was unable to pick up another first down, and Ryan Succop’s 26-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Yetur Gross-Matos.

Arians honored

Former Bucs head coach Bruce Arians was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor at halftime.

Arians, who played an important role in luring Tom Brady to the Bucs, compiled a 31-18 regular-season record in three seasons with Tampa Bay.

His teams won the NFC South in 2021, had a 5-1 record in playoff games and defeated the Chiefs in Super Bowl 55 following the 2020 season.

He retired as head coach in the spring to take a job as senior advisor to general manager Jason Licht.

Bucs on the comeback trail

Tom Brady did what he does seemingly every game, driving the Bucs for a touchdown in the final minutes of the first half.

But instead of a long, sustained drive, this was a quick strike, as Brady hit Mike Evans in stride deep down the right sideline for a 63-yard touchdown pass.

The completion put the Bucs on the board, trimming their deficit to 14-7 with just over two minutes left in the half.

Tampa Bay got the ball back two plays later, as Carolina quarterback Sam Darnold mishandled a shotgun snap. Inside linebacker Devin White picked up the ball at the Panthers 17 and carried it 4 yards to the 13.

After a Brady pass to Evans gained 7 yards to the 6, Leonard Fournette ran up the middle for 2 yards, setting up third and 1. Brady threw incomplete for Cade Otton, bringing up fourth down.

Rather than go for the first down, which Brady seemed to want, the Bucs opted for a field goal, and Ryan Succop converted from 22 yards, making it 14-10 with 1:09 to play in the half.

Bad breaks

The Bucs had a 30-yard gain taken away midway through the second quarter when Chris Godwin was called for offensive pass interference, negating a Cade Otton catch-and-run to the Panthers 42.

The penalty put Tampa Bay in a second-and-17 situation it couldn’t get out of, as a 7-yard run by Leonard Fournette and Tom Brady sack netted a loss of 1 yard, prompting a Bucs punt.

The punt was nearly the best thing to happen to Tampa Bay, however, as returner Andre Roberts fumbled after being hit by Zyon McCollum. But Roberts’ elbow hit the ground before the ball came out, and Carolina retained possession.

Taking advantage

The Panthers got a break when a Terrace Marshall Jr. fumble after a 15-yard reception went out of bounds, allowing Carolina to keep possession at the Bucs 43.

Runs by D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard quickly brought up third and 3 from the 36. Sam Darnold’s pass for Laviska Shenault Jr. was thrown too far in front of the receiver.

Carolina went for it on fourth down, and Darnold found DJ Moore for a 7-yard gain, keeping the drive alive.

After William Gholston dropped Foreman for a 2-yard loss, Shenault picked up 5 yards, making it third and 5.

Darnold dropped a pass down the left sideline over Antoine Winfield Jr. for Moore, who made the catch for a 24-yard touchdown.

Coming up empty

The Bucs came away with no points on a 13-play drive that stretched from late in the first quarter until early in the second.

Tom Brady threw twice to Mike Evans at the start of the drive, picking up 11 yards and a first down at the Tampa Bay 30.

After a Rachaad White run resulted in no gain, Brady threw into the right flat for White, who spun his way to a 6-yard gain, setting up third and 4.

Brady found Russell Gage over the middle for a 7-yard gain and first down at the 43. White carried for 2 yards off right tackle as the first quarter came to a close.

But a White reception and run netted just 7 yards, and Tampa Bay faced fourth and 1 from the Carolina 48. The Bucs went for the first down, and Brady just made the line to gain on a quarterback sneak.

Brady went back to Evans on the next play for 13 yards and another first down at the Panthers 34. But White was tripped up for a 1-yard loss and Brady was unable to connect with Evans down the left sideline, bringing up third and 11.

Brady’s pass for Julio Jones was incomplete, and the Bucs were forced to settle for a 53-yard Ryan Succop field-goal attempt. The kick was no good. leaving Tampa Bay behind by a touchdown.

Unfulfilled promise

Chris Godwin quickly made amends for his fumble, taking a Tom Brady pass 21 yards to the Tampa Bay 38 on the first play of the Bucs’ second possession.

But Tampa Bay was unable to anything more on the drive.

After two Leonard Fournette runs netted 3 yards, the Bucs faced third and 7 from the 41. Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos sacked Brady, resulting in a 6-yard loss and Tampa Bay punt.

Stopped in their tracks

The Bucs drove into Panthers territory on their opening possession before turning the ball over.

Tampa Bay didn’t get a completion on its first offensive play, but it got something just as good: a defensive holding penalty against Carolina cornerback Keith Taylor.

Rachaad White runs of 7 and 5 yards moved the ball to the Bucs 42 before a holding penalty against tackle Donovan Smith pushed them back 10 yards.

Tom Brady had Mike Evans open deep downfield on the next play, but the receiver couldn’t hold on to the ball. Tampa Bay got 10 yards back on a pass to Julio Jones, making it third and 10 from the Bucs 42.

They appeared to pick up the first down and more on a 26-yard completion over the middle to Chris Godwin, but Panthers safety Sam Franklin knocked the ball loose and Xavier Woods recovered at the Carolina 33.

Panthers go ... to the air?

The Panthers surprisingly came out throwing, as quarterback Sam Darnold connected with DJ Moore on a play-action pass over the middle for 26 yards to the Bucs 49-yard line on the first play from scrimmage.

An 11-yard pass to Shi Smith moved the ball to the 38 before Carolina called its first running play, a 4-yard D’Onta Foreman run up the middle.

The Panthers then went back to the air, as Laviska Shenault Jr. took a swing pass 6 yards to the 28. After a 5-yard Foreman run, Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr. was called for interference, giving Carolina a first down at the 17.

The Panthers were in the end zone one play later, as Darnold found tight end Tommy Tremble on a corner route for a touchdown, putting Carolina ahead 7-0 with 11:39 remaining in the first quarter.

Playoff berth there for the taking

It all comes down to this.

More than likely.

Beat the Panthers today at home, and the Bucs will clinch consecutive division titles for the first time in franchise history and a third straight playoff berth. Lose, and they’ll have a bit more work to do — and need help from their most bitter division rival — to reach the postseason.

Since Carolina (6-9) beat Tampa Bay (7-8) in the first meeting between the teams, a second Panthers win today would give them the head-to-head tiebreaker. In that scenario, the Bucs would need two things to happen next week: a win over the Falcons and a Panthers loss to the Saints.

Tampa Bay holds a tiebreaker advantage over New Orleans (6-9) based on its two victories over the Saints this season.

So, what will it take to beat the Panthers?

Stop their run game, which will be no easy task.

Even without Christian McCaffrey, who was traded to the 49ers in October, the Panthers rank 10th in the NFL in rushing yards per game at 131.

Though they rank sixth in total defense (315.4 yards per game) and tied for seventh in scoring defense (20.3 points per game), the Bucs are just 17th in rushing defense, allowing 120.3 yards per game.

Carolina showed how dominant it can be by amassing 320 rushing yards in last week’s 37-23 victory over Detroit. Both D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard surpassed 100 yards on the ground in the first half.

In the Panthers’ 21-3 win over the Bucs in October in Charlotte, North Carolina, Foreman and Hubbard combined for 181 rushing yards, while quarterback PJ Walker was an efficient 16 of 22 for 177 yards and two touchdowns.

But take away their ground game, and you take much of the fight out of the Panthers. Carolina, with Sam Darnold now under center, seldom throws the ball and isn’t particularly effective when it does, ranking fourth-worst in the NFL in passing offense at 175.9 yards per game.

Bolstering the Bucs against the run today will be the return of defensive tackle and primary run-stuffer Vita Vea, who has missed most of the past three games with a calf injury.

Cornerback Carlton Davis (shoulder) and outside linebacker Carl Nassib (pectoral) are out. Left tackle Donovan Smith (foot) and cornerback Jamel Dean (toe) are not on the inactive list and expected to play.

— FRANK PASTOR, Assistant Sports Editor

Vea returning to Bucs’ lineup vs. run-heavy Panthers

Bucs nose tackle Vita Vea, sidelined the last two games with a calf injury, is expected to play in today’s de facto playoff game against the run-oriented Panthers.

Vea, absent since his four-play cameo against the 49ers on Dec. 11, practiced on a limited basis Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and is active today.

His presence alongside fellow veteran behemoth Akiem Hicks immediately solidifies Tampa Bay’s interior run defense against a team that ran for 320 yards in last weekend’s 14-point victory against Detroit.

Read Joey Knight’s full story here.

Who’s in/who’s out

Pregame scene

More ways to follow us

Follow our Bucs Instagram account at @TampaBayTimesBucs

Follow our Bucs writers on Twitter at @NFLStroud, @TBTimes_Bulls, and @Romano_TBTimes.

A little light reading

Here’s some of our content leading up to today’s game:

The Bucs are going to the playoffs! (If they can stop Carolina’s running game.)

Bucs may have home-field advantage if Tom Brady plays in 2023

‘Citizen hero’ Blaine Gabbert recounts his role in Davis Islands helicopter rescue

Bucs edge rushers Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Anthony Nelson logging overtime in regulation

Vita Vea’s status still uncertain as Bucs brace for Panthers’ run game

Bruce Arians reflects on his Bucs Ring of Honor coaching career: ‘What a ride!’

It’s hard to bet against Tom Brady reaching the playoffs

Todd Bowles wants more running back balance. Will he get it?

It’s not hyperbole: Tom Brady has spent half his life in the NFL

Knee injury behind him, Bucs’ Chris Godwin is thriving again

No chance Ryan Jensen plays Sunday for Bucs vs. Panthers, Todd Bowles says

Bucs place Wells on injured reserve, J.J. Russell promoted to 53-man roster

Should Brady have returned? Should Arians have retired? A look back at Tampa Bay sports in 2022

For one game in December, Playoff Lenny returned

Nothing at stake for Bucs except a title. A playoff game. A legacy.

Leonard Fournette tweets he’s playing through painful foot injury

• • •

Sign up for the Bucs RedZone newsletter to get updates and analysis on the latest team and NFL news from Bucs beat writer Joey Knight.

Never miss out on the latest with the Bucs, Rays, Lightning, Florida college sports and more. Follow our Tampa Bay Times sports team on Twitter and Facebook.