CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Lathan Ransom didn’t read all of the social media posts and articles after his miscue at the end of last week’s loss to the New Orleans’ Saints. But he read enough of them to know how he was being portrayed.
What a difference a pick makes.
With his last-minute, game-sealing interception of Baker Mayfield on Sunday, Ransom went from goat to hero, helping the Carolina Panthers hold off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 and grab the upper hand in the race for the NFC South title.
The Panthers (8-7) took a one-game lead over Tampa Bay (7-8) and can clinch their first playoff berth since 2017 two ways:
• A win over Seattle next week, coupled with a Bucs’ loss to Miami.
• A victory at Tampa in Week 18 in the regular-season finale.
With Christmas coming in four days, the Panthers are very much still alive for a postseason berth. Sing Hallelujah.
“Everything’s right in front of us still, to give ourselves a chance to continue to play meaningful football this time of year. They’ve earned that,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said. “They’ve earned that because of the work, because of being accountable to each other and really having a great week of preparation.”
It could have been a rough week for Ransom had he let his personal foul penalty on Saints quarterback Tyler Shough — which set up New Orleans’ game-winning field goal — consume him. Instead, the rookie safety from Ohio State listened to the advice of a few veterans, moved on from the Saints’ game and started preparing for Mayfield and the Bucs.
“I understand the game’s not won or lost on one play. But people behind that phone going to have their own opinions,” he said. “I just heard all the noise, listened to it and used that as fuel for this game. … I’ve played a lot of ball. So it didn’t take me long to get over it at all.”
When Mayfield broke off a 26-yard scramble and moved the Bucs’ into Carolina territory with less than a minute left, it looked like Sunday might play out like last week. But with a raucous Bank of America Stadium crowd of 73,530 roaring, Bucs rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka was whistled for a false start, bringing up a second-and-9 from the Panthers’ 42.
With the Panthers rushing four and Cam Jackson and D.J. Wonnum applying interior pressure, Mayfield was forced to move his feet in the pocket. Mike Evans, a Panthers’ menace for 12 years who’d caught a touchdown in the first quarter, got bumped by nickel Chau Smith-Wade at the line on his crossing route.
When Evans saw Mayfield shift to his left, Evans stopped his route to change directions in scramble-drill fashion. But Mayfield threw the ball to the spot he expected Evans to be. The closest player to it was Ransom, who made a diving snag for his first career interception, with 42 seconds left.
“I was trying to find a lane to step through and make the throw to (Evans), and he thought I was going to scramble, which based on some of the scrambles earlier to that, can’t blame him,” Mayfield said. “Honestly, it’s just a sucky situation.”
One Bryce Young kneeldown later, Ransom had his redemption. As pleased as Ransom was, his defensive teammates were happier.
“He responded like a grown man should,” cornerback Mike Jackson said. “Everybody was talking trash to him, maybe he shouldn’t be in the game, this, that. And he responded like he should. I’m proud of him. At the end of the day, it’s grown-man football and he showed that.”
Ransom, a fourth-round pick, has played in 14 of 15 games and carved out a role in the big nickel package. Teammates have been impressed with his big hits and professional demeanor, and didn’t want either to change based on his tackle of a sliding Shough (which did not draw a fine, incidentally).
“What happened last week was tough. It’s a tough call,” safety Nick Scott said. “We praise Lathan for as hard as he plays and how hard he hits. So you don’t wanna take that out of somebody. We just were encouraging him, saying be the same guy. Approach tackles like you always have and don’t let that hold you back.”
Ransom’s heroics saved a game that featured four lead changes and one tie. Young untied it with the 12th game-winning drive of his career, the most in the NFL since the start of the 2023 season and the second most in NFL history by a quarterback before his 25th birthday. Only Justin Herbert (13) has more.
On a day when the Bucs sold out to stop the run, Young completed 21 of 32 passes for 191 yards, with no turnovers and a 102.5 passer rating. He showed off his varied skill set on his two touchdown passes, spinning a perfect throw from the pocket on a Tetairoa McMillan 22-yard score before escaping a sack and making a nifty, off-platform throw to tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders for a 6-yard TD.
Jalen Coker caught three passes Sunday vs. the Bucs — none bigger than this 34-yarder in the fourth quarter that led to the go-ahead field goal. (Bob Donnan / Imagn Images)
But his most clutch delivery was a 34-yarder to Jalen Coker to convert a third-and-4 and set up Ryan Fitzgerald’s 48-yard, go-ahead field goal with 2:20 remaining. Young’s six game-winning drives this season are tied with Denver’s Bo Nix and Chicago’s Caleb Williams for most in the league.
“Moments like that, where else would you rather be?” Young said. “I have all the confidence in the world in our guys. I just want to be able to give them a chance to go make a play. They did a great job around me stepping up. Those plays, great pockets. They did a great job of getting open, making catches. I trust in those guys and it’s a fun place to be.”
Bank of America Stadium was the place to be Sunday, where there was a palpable buzz for the first time since the end of the 2022 season when the Panthers were in playoff contention under interim coach Steve Wilks.
These weren’t Bucs’ fans, either. It was clear that Panthers’ fans held on to their tickets.
“A lot of black and blue,” defensive lineman Derrick Brown said. “Less of red, what I’ve seen before.”
The Panthers will play one more regular-season game at home against the Seahawks, who have the NFC’s best record at 12-3. In Scott’s way of thinking, the postseason already has started.
“These are playoff games now — point, blank, period,” he said. “So we’re gonna ask for that intensity, not only from the fans but just the guys week in and week out.”
The Panthers entered Sunday having lost nine of 10 to Tampa Bay, including an 0-4 stretch since Mayfield, the former Carolina QB, joined the Bucs.
But the Bucs are reeling, with six losses in their last seven games. The Panthers can finish them off in two weeks in Tampa. Everyone at BoA on Sunday seemed to smell the blood in the water.
“That s––– was rockin’ in here today,” Brown said. “So shoutout to the fans. Don’t be afraid to travel in a few weeks.”