Baker Mayfield was scared he had torn his Achilles tendon when Jadeveon Clowney stepped on the back of his right ankle in the third quarter. For a moment, he thought his season might be over.
Fortunately for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it turned out to be less serious. Mayfield returned to the game after missing only two plays, leading four more scoring drives. The Bucs won 26-23 in overtime against the Carolina Panthers, thanks to a 30-yard field goal from Chase McLaughlin. With the win, the Buccaneers moved into a tie for first place in the NFC South.
“Honestly, it scared the daylights out of me,” Mayfield said. “I’ve seen some people pop their Achilles before and they say it feels like you get cleated in the back. Obviously not knowing what had happened, I thought that’s what I did. It was a little painful, but I got taped up again and went back out there.”
Bucky Irving ran for a career-high 152 yards and a touchdown for the Bucs (6-6), who are now tied with Atlanta at the top of the division. Mayfield finished the game 21 of 33 for 235 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions.
He improved to 4-0 against the Panthers, the team that cut him in 2022. Mike Evans had five catches for 118 yards, including a one-handed grab for a 1-yard touchdown catch.
“Mike’s a grown man,” Mayfield said. “I don’t know how he caught that ball. He’s proven time and time again for 11 years that he can do it.”
In overtime, the Panthers, led by Bryce Young, were moving into position for a game-winning score. Adam Thielen made a one-handed grab to get into Tampa Bay territory. However, on the next play, Chuba Hubbard fumbled, and Mayfield took over.
Mayfield connected with Evans for 21 yards, and then Rashaad White ran for 38 yards to the Carolina 10-yard line, setting up McLaughlin’s fourth field goal of the game.
“The football gods were kind to us,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. “The first half of the season, we wouldn’t have finished that one out. We did a heck of a job fighting back all game. It was a tough game. They played tough. We played tough. We made mistakes in the first half of the season and, this game, we pulled it out. We learned some mental toughness.”
The loss guaranteed the Panthers (3-9) their seventh straight losing season. A disappointed Hubbard sat on the Carolina bench for several minutes after the game while his teammates headed to the locker room.
“I hold myself to a high standard and we are trying to change things around here and that’s not helping with anything,” Hubbard said. “So I’ve got to be better and all I can do is just work. It happened and I have to grow from it.”
Young was 26 of 46 passing for 298 yards. He led a 60-yard drive, ending with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Thielen, which gave the Panthers a 23-20 lead with 30 seconds left in regulation. The stadium was buzzing with excitement.
However, in overtime, Young didn’t attempt to jump on Hubbard’s fumble, which was a mistake similar to a costly decision by Cam Newton in the Panthers’ Super Bowl 50 loss to the Denver Broncos.
“It was a reaction,” Young said, offering no further explanation.
Panthers coach Dave Canales said he’s happy with Young’s progress but noted the team’s mistakes in the loss.
“We have to put together a full complement of quarters, a full four quarters to become the team that we want to become,” Canales said.
