CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The playoff-starved Carolina Panthers left the locker room Sunday happy, but not yet satisfied.
The Panthers finally figured out a way to beat Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, taking a 23-20 victory that gave them sole possession of first place in the NFC South with two games remaining. But they are well aware they may need to do it again in Week 18 to earn their first division title in a decade and snap a seven-year playoff drought.
Carolina (8-7) could wrap up the NFC South next Sunday with a win over Seattle and a Tampa Bay loss to Miami. However, if the Buccaneers beat the Dolphins, Carolina would need to beat Tampa Bay in the regular-season finale to end its four-year reign as division champions.
Panthers Coach Dave Canales said the team’s locker room is filled with “hope and belief” that the franchise’s fortunes could be about to change.
“Everything is right in front of us still,” Canales said. “To give ourselves a chance to play meaningful football at this time of the year, those guys have earned that. They have earned because of the work they put in and being accountable to each other.”
And because third-year quarterback Bryce Young continues to make big plays when it matters most.
Young threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns, while rookie safety Lathan Ransom intercepted Mayfield with 42 seconds left. Of Young’s 14 wins as an NFL starter, 12 have come on game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime.
“We have the utmost confidence in Bryce,” said tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, who caught a 6-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter after Young eluded three defenders in the pocket. “He isn’t our quarterback for no reason. Everything he has gone through to get to this point today, the resilience and the mental toughness and the way he carries himself, it all plays a part in that.”
It was the third straight loss for the reeling Buccaneers (7-8), who were hoping the return of injured wide receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan might spark a playoff run.
“The biggest thing is our confidence is good and our camaraderie is good,” Buccaneers Coach Todd Bowles said. “But that’s not enough right now. It’s the execution that we’re lacking and missing a few things here and there. … Hopefully, in two weeks we get a chance to see them again and play for something.”
The Panthers were coming off a heartbreaking loss last Sunday to New Orleans on a last-second field goal, aided by a late hit from Ransom on sliding quarterback Tyler Shough on the final drive. The flag pushed the Saints safely into field goal range for the win.
But Ranson got his redemption on Sunday.
With the Buccaneers down 23-20 and driving for the go-ahead score — or at least the tying field goal — there was a miscommunication on a second-and-9 pass play at the Carolina 42 between Mayfield and Evans, and Ransom made a sliding catch for the interception.
“I was trying to find a lane to step through and make a throw to him,” Mayfield said. “(Evans) thought I was going to scramble, which based on some of the scrambles earlier to that, so you can’t blame him.”
Mayfield, who was 5-0 against the Panthers before Sunday, finished 18 of 26 for 145 yards with one touchdown pass to Evans on Tampa Bay’s opening drive.
For the Panthers it was the fourth straight time they’ve followed up a loss with a win, which Young said speaks to the team’s resiliency.
“I’m so proud of this group. We just know how to come back and refocus, good or bad,” Young said. “We try to flush it. There is no quit in us. … That is something that we carry into every aspect we are as a team. Not just to walk it, but to talk it. Be resilient.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is sacked by Carolina Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle runs past Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Sirvocea Dennis during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield passes against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is sacked by Carolina Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)