Bucs win but not yet in as they play a waiting game with Panthers

Under a bruised sky that wept for four quarters, the Bucs ground out a 16-14 win over the Carolina Panthers on Saturday. It was a damp, uneasy victory that kept the season breathing for at least another 20 hours.

The rain-soaked survival act didn’t bring relief as much as reflection. Hope mingled with helplessness. Grit shook hands with regret.

The Bucs were left to wait and hope for the Saints to beat the Falcons Sunday in order to win their fifth straight NFC South title. An Atlanta win would give Carolina the division crown.

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The Bucs walked out of Raymond James Stadium as an 8-9 team that mastered winning close games early only to be undone by them late.

“It’s disappointing today. It could be jubilation tomorrow,” coach Todd Bowles said after watching his team snap a four-game losing streak. “If tomorrow doesn’t happen, it will be disappointing.

“You know, we put ourselves in this situation. We’re all grown men about it. We could’ve made a ton of plays, but we can’t look back and dwell on it. We’ve just got to move forward. They showed fight tonight and grit tonight, so we’ll see what happens.

“It gives us a chance. Even if it’s just for 24 hours, it gives us a chance.”

The Bucs have a chance because their defense, fortified by the return of defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, shut down the Panthers rushing attack, holding it to 19 yards on 14 carries.

The Bucs took a 10-0 lead, then saw Baker Mayfield throw another egregious interception to set up the Panthers’ first touchdown in the second quarter. But linebacker Lavonte David, possibly playing his last NFL game, may have saved the Bucs by recovering a fumble on a botched flea-flicker pass early in the fourth.

David finished with six tackles, tying Derrick Brooks for the most in team history with 1,713, according to Pro Football Reference.

David was the last player off the field and was reflective about his career afterward. Barring a playoff berth, was the game his last in the NFL?

“I’m not sure, man,” he said. “I’ll pray about it. Talk to my family about it. Just do what I got to do. I’m always praying about whatever God’s will is for me. And whenever that time comes, I’ll be able to be straightforward and shoot you straight and let you know. Right now, I have no idea.

“But for me to be in that category, being in the same breath as Derrick, me growing up and watching Derrick Brooks and seeing what he’s doing and how much he means to this organization, and for me to follow in those exact footsteps, it’s an incredible feat.”

David isn’t the only Bucs icon who may have played his last game for the team. Mike Evans, who is set to become a free agent in March, was emotional leaving the field.

Evans battled back from hamstring injuries, a concussion and a broken collarbone. Fellow receiver Jalen McMillan recovered from a fractured neck suffered in the preseason. Kancey came off injured reserve this week after tearing a pectoral muscle in a Week 2 win at Houston.

Tight Cade Otton had not had a touchdown reception until Saturday, when he led the Bucs with seven catches for 94 yards.

“Those guys are mentally tough,” Bowles said. “It shows we’re picking the right guys from a toughness standpoint for those guys to be working to get back at it. They could’ve easily taken the season off and said, ‘Ah, well, I’m not trying to go out there.’

“But they’re not built like that. We’re not built like that as an organization. For them to come back and put their bodies on the line, coming back from injury in such a short time in terms of having been hit on it, it says a lot about them.”

If the Bucs are fortunate enough to have the Saints beat the Falcons, allowing them to edge the Panthers for the division title because of a better record against common opponents, they will become the first team to make the playoffs twice with a losing record. They also would have the worst nine-game finish (2-7) of any playoff team.

But that’s the thing about this Bucs team. It won close. It lost close. It remained close.

The team stuck together to win four games on last-minute drives with Mayfield magic. It didn’t come apart when it lost seven of eight games after a 6-2 start.

“There was a lot of self-harm that we put ourselves in this position,” Mayfield said. “The love in the locker room and the culture has never changed, because we have leaders. ... The love in that locker room is real, and you can’t fake that.”

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