Buccaneers force OT on late kick, beat Panthers on field goal

Chase McLaughlin had a second chance in overtime and kicked a 30-yard field goal with 2:50 left in the session as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers escaped with a 26-23 victory against the host Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Charlotte.

McLaughlin forced overtime with a 51-yarder on the last play of regulation, but he missed from 55 yards on the first possession of overtime. The Panthers reached the Tampa Bay 30 on the ensuing possession but lost the ball on Chuba Hubbard's fumble before Tampa Bay's winning drive.

Carolina's Bryce Young threw 25 yards to Adam Thielen for a go-ahead touchdown with 30 seconds left in regulation. That was enough time for the Buccaneers to drive for a tying field goal and force overtime.

Bucky Irving ran for 152 yards and a touchdown and Baker Mayfield threw for 235 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for the Buccaneers (6-6).

Young ran for a touchdown and threw for 298 yards on 26-for-46 passing, but first-year coach Dave Canales didn't come away with a victory against the team he served as offensive coordinator for last season.

Carolina's Eddy Pineiro made three field goals and had a couple of rare misses in the first meeting of the season between the NFC South teams.

The Panthers (3-9) produced a total of two first downs on their first four possessions of the second half until the late drive. Carolina drove 60 yards on nine plays, while twice converting on third downs, leading to Thielen's touchdown.

Irving, who had 25 carries, reached the 90-yard mark on the ground for the first time this season.

The Buccaneers went ahead 17-16 on Irving's 6-yard run and an extra point with 8:53 remaining in regulation, using 11 plays to move 69 yards. That gave Tampa Bay three scoring drives of more than 60 yards, while at the time the longest drive for points by the Panthers was at 49 yards.

Mayfield left for a couple of plays in the third quarter after his ankle or foot was stepped on.

Following Tampa Bay's go-ahead drive, Irving had the big play on the Buccaneers' next possession with a 43-yard run to the Carolina 11. But a third-and-1 play from the 2 was botched and the Buccaneers settled for McLaughlin's 26-yard field goal and a 20-16 lead with 3:05 left.

Tampa Bay began the scoring on Mayfield's 2-yard pass to Mike Evans in the first quarter.

The Panthers took their first lead, with Young running for a 10-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter. McLaughlin kicked a 27-yard field goal.

But Carolina put together a drive that resulted in Pineiro's 27-yard field goal with 5 seconds left in the half for a 13-10 lead. His 22-yarder in the final minute of the third quarter stretched the margin to 16-10. The score followed an interception and 33-yard return by Xavier Woods gave the Panthers the ball at the Tampa Bay 20.

With his first attempt of the game, Pineiro tied the franchise record with 41 consecutive successful field goals in home games. That streak ended when he hooked a 38-yarder in the second quarter. He missed two in a row when he was off the mark from 45 yards later in the quarter.

--Field Level Media