Mike Evans racked up 162 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven catches to help Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield earn a victory against one of his former teams as the Buccaneers beat the visiting Carolina Panthers 21-18 on Sunday.
The Panthers, playing their first game under interim coach Chris Tabor after the firing of Frank Reich, held the lead for all of 10 seconds in the third quarter.
That’s when Evans struck for a long touchdown play and the Buccaneers (5-7) led the rest of the way.
Mayfield was 14-for-29 for 202 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Running back Rachaad White gained 84 rushing yards on 20 carries for Tampa Bay.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was 15-for-31 for 178 yards and an interception. Chuba Hubbard rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns on 25 attempts.
Parts of the game were played amid downpours, leading to stretches without much offense.
Carolina (1-11) threatened by scoring on Hubbard’s 1-yard run followed by Young’s two-point conversion run to pull within 21-18 with 5:02 to play. The score came at the end of an 11-play, 75-yard drive.
After forcing a punt, the Panthers regained possession, but Young’s fourth-and-1 pass was intercepted by Antoine Winfield Jr.
Evans made a 75-yard touchdown reception off a slant pattern on the first snap after Carolina went ahead in the third quarter. He initially was ruled out of bounds at the 1-yard line, but that was overruled upon review.
Two possessions later, the Buccaneers were in the end zone again when receiver Chris Godwin took a handoff and went on a 19-yard scoring run.
Tampa Bay led 7-3 at halftime.
The Buccaneers scored first on White’s 1-yard run in the first quarter. That was set up by Mayfield’s 40-yard pass play to Evans.
Eddy Pineiro’s 23-yard field goal for Carolina made it 7-3 early in the second quarter to conclude a 14-play, 70-yard drive.
The Panthers notched their first takeaway in four games on Xavier Woods’ second-quarter interception, but they didn’t convert for any points from it.
–Field Level Media
