The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are NFC South Champions for the third consecutive season.
The Bucs shut out the Carolina Panthers 9-0 to win their third straight NFC South Title and are now the only team to make the playoffs for four consecutive seasons.
It was a masterclass put on by the defense and an offensive performance reminiscent of the mid-October offense when the Buccaneers lost six of seven.
This was by no means an easy win. The Buccaneers won this game on the strength of their defense, who made big plays when it mattered most in the 9-0 win.
Baker Mayfield Struggles In 9-0 Win
Baker Mayfield played but was just a shadow of the Mayfield we saw down the stretch the last month of the season.
Mayfield was sacked three times, got his ankle rolled up on the sack in the second quarter, and promptly limped off the field. It looked like Baker’s afternoon ended, but he hung in there and finished the game.
I don’t know if this says more about Mayfield’s determination, grit, and desire to win or that the coaching staff has such a low opinion of Kyle Trask, the former Florida Gator.
Mayfield completed 20/32 passes for 137 yards with no touchdowns and zero picks.
This was the best season of his career, passing for 4,044 yards with 28 touchdowns and ten interceptions.
Baker made an extra $3.2 million for his play this season, plus his $4 million base salary. He earned a cool $1 million for leading the Bucs to the playoffs and can earn another $250,000 for each playoff win.
I’m sure Mayfield will spend a lot of time in the hot tub this week trying to rid himself of those bumps and bruises.
Running back Richard White had over 1200 yards combined rushing and receiving and firmly established himself as the number one back in Tampa. White missed the 1,000-yard rushing milestone by nine yards, finishing with 991 yards on the season.
Mike Evans Continues To Add His Legacy
Mike Evans finished with 1,255 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. Evans and Tyreek Hill led the NFL this season with 13 touchdown catches. Chris Godwin finished with 1,024 receiving yards, the fourth consecutive season that the Buccaneers have had two 1,000-yard receivers.
With the three field goals in the win on Sunday, Chase McLaughlin caps the best season in Buccaneer history, kicking field goals as he connected on 29/31 for a 93.5 percent conversion.
Oh yeah, those two misses were partially blocked.
Many players contributed to the Bucs’ success this season, but this team would not be in the playoffs without McLaughlin and his accurate kicking. He has been that valuable to this team.
Buccaneers Defense Rounding Into Playoff Form
Defensively, Antoine Winfield Jr. continues to be the heart and soul of this Buccaneer defense, as he made the play of the game late in the second quarter.
Winfield Jr. came flying across the field after Jamel Dean had given up on the play and knocked the ball from receiver DJ Chark at the goal line after a 42-yard gain, giving the Buccaneers possession at the 20-yard line, keeping Carolina off the scoreboard.
Winfield finishes the season second on the team with 120 tackles. He also added five sacks, five forced fumbles, and three interceptions.
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, who has been MIA most of the season, sacked Panthers quarterback Bryce Young with 6:19 left to play, stripping him of the football, which Greg Gaines recovered.
The Buccaneers will take on an old playoff foe in the Philadelphia Eagles on wildcard weekend.
The Eagles will come to Tampa, having lost five of their last six and are giving up 29 points a game down the stretch. It’s not a great way to enter the playoffs.
The Eagles are also banged up a bit. Jalen Hurts hurt a finger on his throwing hand, AJ Brown suffered a knee injury, and DeVonta Smith is trying to get over an ankle injury.
The Bucs and Eagles will play Monday at 8:15 PM on ESPN/ABC.