Offense explodes as Buccaneers move to brink of playoffs with upset win over Chargers

John Romano, Tampa Bay Times on Dec 15, 2024

Published in Football

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Well, hello playoffs.

OK, so it’s premature to put the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the postseason. Tampa Bay’s magic number to clinch the NFC South is three, so don’t start ordering the party trays just yet.

On the other hand, holy crap!

For the second season in a row, the Bucs have rebounded from a four-game losing streak in the middle of the season to pull themselves atop the division. If the Atlanta Falcons lose against the Las Vegas Raiders Monday night, the Bucs actually could clinch the South by next weekend.

After beating three last-place teams in succession, the Bucs quieted any critics with a 40-17 thrashing of the Chargers Sunday at SoFi Stadium outside of Los Angeles.

The offense was spectacular with 506 net yards and scores on six consecutive possessions. Baker Mayfield threw for 288 yards and four touchdowns, and the defense continued its second half revival by shutting down Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense.

Play of the day

Trailing 17-13 in the third quarter, Mayfield scrambled to his left on a second-and-13 play. Cade Otton and Rachaad White were both near the sideline and Mayfield was trying to direct them away from each other when he spotted Mike Evans running free across the field. While still scrambling left, Mayfield launched the ball 30 yards in the air. Evans made the grab, bounced off a defender trying to knock him out of bounds and then ran into the end zone for a 5- yard touchdown that gave the Bucs the lead for good.

Game ball

Yes, Evans deserves a game ball for his 159-yard receiving day. But let’s spread the love around and reward Bucky Irving, too. The rookie from Oregon rushed for 117 yards and helped break the game open with a 54-yard gain in the third quarter. He’s now averaging 5.6 yards per carry and needs to gain only 148 yards over the final three weeks to crack 1,000.

Keep an eye on

Is this defensive revival for real, or a product of the competition? The Bucs were giving up an average of 26.6 points per game through the first 10 weeks. Since the bye, however, they’ve yielded only 15 points a game. It certainly helped that they played the 2-12 Giants, 3-11 Panthers and 2-11 Raiders. But the Chargers (8-6) are a potential playoff team, and the Bucs just shut them down with two backups starting at safety.

NFC South update

If it wasn’t for the Bucs, the NFC South would have been relegated to the UFL by now. Over the past three seasons, Tampa Bay is 15-17 in games outside of the division. That’s nothing to brag about, but it looks awe-inspiring compared to the rest of the division. The Falcons, Saints and Panthers are 30-63 against non-division foes. That would explain why the Bucs are on the verge of a franchise-record fourth consecutive division title.

Up next

A Sunday night game in Dallas with Mike McCarthy coaching for his life. At 6-8, the Cowboys are having their worst season since 2020, and McCarthy may need a strong finish to avoid the axe. Dallas got its act together on Sunday against the Panthers with a 30-14 victory.

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