The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the fourth quarter with a 16-10 deficit and 84 total rushing yards at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday. They finished the game with 236 yards on the ground and, in no small part because of that, a 26-23 overtime victory that moved them into a tie for first place in the NFC South.

A week after firing on all cylinders in the air and on the ground in a 30-7 win over the New York Giants, the Buccaneers were on offense for most of the afternoon and early evening against the Carolina Panthers in Week 13 Unsatisfied In the end, they found their footing and prevailed in large part because they relied on the team’s most consistent strength this season: a strong offensive line that worked together to create opportunities for the running talent Backs Bucky create Irving and Rachaad White.

On Sunday, that line included Pro Bowl left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who missed the team’s Week 12 win at New Jersey but returned to action against the Panthers and played every snap. His status was not certain until a pregame practice on the field at Bank of America Stadium in front of coaches and several other team officials.

“Yeah, I’ll start by talking about Tristan Wirfs playing with some toughness,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “Just a little loopy, but he turned his back and then all these guys did it. “Obviously Graham (Barton) struggled a little bit early on, but (the game has) four quarters and overtime for a reason. “So those guys imposed their will late in the game… You see, like Luke Goedeke pulls around the corner and, you know, pushes him out into the open. I’m on the same side, they’re damn good.

Goedeke, the starting right tackle, took the lead late in overtime with a 38-yard run from White that set up Chase McLaughlin’s game-winning 30-yard field goal. That ended a rollercoaster ride that saw the Bucs score 10 straight points in the fourth quarter to take a four-point lead, only for Carolina to hit back with a two-minute, 60-yard drill that ended in a 25-yard touchdown catch Adam Thielen. The Bucs only had 30 seconds left to play after that and of course had to put the ball in the air, but it was the ground play that kept them in position to win.

Irving ran 28 yards early in the fourth quarter on a drive that ended with his own six-yard TD run to give himself a one-score lead. After a three-and-out by the Panthers, he ran 60 yards on a 67-yard field goal drive, putting the Bucs up by three. Irving finished the game with 152 rushing yards on 25 carries – his first 100-yard game in his career and 185 yards from scrimmage.

“Bucky is a stud,” Mayfield said. “Obviously getting the ball in our hands is good for our offense and it goes for all of our backs, but the way Bucky played tonight gave us the spark that we really needed as “We didn’t do so well.”