The Buccaneers edged the Carolina Panthers with a 26-23 overtime win, overcoming sloppy play, turnovers and injuries to move closer to their fourth straight NFC South title. After taking an early 7-0 lead, penalties and strange mistakes blighted Tampa Bay’s normally potent offense.

The defense was uneven at best. While they controlled Carolina’s running offense, Tampa Bay struggled to contain Bryce Young, who rushed for a season-high 298 yards and scored a 10-yard touchdown. Baker Mayfield and the Bucs’ special teams did the defense no favors, as turnovers and bad kicks accounted for 20 of Carolina’s 23 points.

A breakout game from Bucky Irving, a classy performance from Mike Evans and a great defensive performance when the game was almost over were all that kept the Bucs from a humiliating defeat. No, the Bucs are back in the race for the division title.

Here are the facts about the Bucs’ Week 13 win over the Panthers:

STUDY: Bucky Irving

If not before, the Bucs’ rookie running back has clearly proven that he is the leader in Tampa Bay. Bucky Irving posted career highs in carries (25) and rush yards (152) and added three catches for 33 yards. Irving virtually led the Bucs’ offense on their go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, accounting for 53 of Tampa Bay’s 69 yards and scoring the touchdown.

Somehow he managed to do it all after suffering a hip injury on a kick return at the end of the first half. Still, Irving had 14 more carries than Rachaad White. While this isn’t the first time Irving has had more carries than White, their usual even split became more of a starter-change-of-pace situation. Irving could be the absolute starter going forward.

DUD: Baker Mayfield

After a near-perfect game last week, Baker Mayfield played one of his worst games of the season in Carolina. The entire offense was riddled with errors in the first half, but Mayfield’s mistakes dominated the entire game and were usually catastrophic. He threw two interceptions, both of which led to Carolina field goals.

Mayfield also received several sacks that could have been avoided by throwing the ball away. He almost cost the Bucs the game when he collected a sack from Trevin Wallace in the first overtime. This stalled the offense and resulted in a missed field goal by Chase McLaughlin.

Mayfield finished the day completing 21 of 33 passes for 235 yards, one touchdown and two picks. Tampa Bay was able to overcome Mayfield’s struggles this week, but they will likely be hoping for more consistency from their starting quarterback in their late push for the division title.

STUDY: Mike Evans

Mike Evans looked like himself for the first time in a long time in Carolina. The longtime Bucs receiver led the team with eight receptions for 118 yards and an absolutely ridiculous touchdown.

Evans was responsible for half of Tampa Bay’s passing attack, a typical performance for a future Hall-of-Famer. With Chris Godwin out for the season, the Bucs will have to rely on Evans for more of those performances, and Evans appears poised to provide them.

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DUD: Trenton Gill

Was it really such a great idea to do without Jake Camarda? Punter Trenton Gill put the Bucs in several bad situations on Sunday, adding to the Bucs’ overall sloppiness. First, Gill shoots a punt out of Tampa Bay’s end zone in the second quarter, sending the football just 22 yards to the Bucs’ own 36-yard line. The bad punt set the Panthers up for their first touchdown of the game.

Then, in the final minutes of regulation, Gill botched a kickoff that didn’t reach the landing zone, putting the ball on Carolina’s 40-yard line. This gave the Panthers excellent field position, which they used to retake the lead with an Adam Thielen touchdown.

No player is averaging fewer yards per punt this season than Trenton Gill (42.8). While the Bucs will have an opportunity to improve their position in the offseason, they may not be able to wait that long. At the very least, Tampa Bay needs to consider using kicker Chase McLaughlin on kickoffs.

STUDY: Anthony Nelson

Anthony Nelson single-handedly saved the Bucs’ game in overtime. After a ridiculous reception from Adam Thielen put the Panthers within field goal range, Carolina ran the ball with Chuba Hubbard to improve their shooting position. Nelson smelled blood in the water and knocked the ball out of Hubbard’s arms. OLB Yaya Diaby recovered the ball and set up Tampa Bay’s game-winning field goal drive.

Nelson was also one of Tampa Bay’s most effective pass rushers on Sunday, hitting Bryce Young three times. Nelson doesn’t get much attention nationally, but since the Bucs drafted him in 2019, he has proven to be a reliable defender capable of making a big play from time to time.

This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Studs and duds from the Bucs’ Week 13 win over the Carolina Panthers