The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used a dominant second half that included big plays from quarterback Baker Mayfield and Pro Bowl receiver Mike Evans to claim a 40-17 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Mayfield threw three of his four touchdown passes in the second half and the Buccaneers defense threw a shutout in the final two quarters to secure the resounding victory. Evans had nine catches and 159 receiving yards, including two second-half TDs of 57 and 35 yards.

In fact, Tampa Bay was down 17-13 at halftime. Mayfield then led the Buccaneers (8-6) with five straight shots on goal to close out the team’s sweep and increase momentum to win the NFC South. Tampa Bay has won four games in a row.

Tampa’s defense surrendered two turnovers, an interception by Jamel Dean and a fumble recovery by defensive back Kaevon Merriweather, and stopped the Chargers on fourth down twice in the second half.

Los Angeles (8-6) has lost three of its last four games.

Bucs tops Chargers

For the first time in Jim Harbaugh’s debut season, the Chargers were outclassed. Up until that point, they had been competitive in every game late into the night. But they were completely dominated on Sunday afternoon.

Jesse Minter’s defense in particular is having its worst game of the season. The Buccaneers ran and passed at will and totaled more than 500 yards. The Chargers were excellent at preventing explosive plays from opposing offenses. They ranked fifth in opponents’ explosive play rate through the first 14 weeks of the season, according to TruMedia.

The Bucs finished the game with 10 explosive plays, including seven of 20 yards or more and two of more than 50 yards. The Chargers didn’t tackle well. They were not connected in their zone coverages. When they were in position in pass defense, they mostly didn’t finish their plays – aside from a Tarheeb Still interception in the first half. The Chargers faced one of the best offenses in the league and came back miserably as a unit. — Daniel Popper, Chargers beat writer

LA’s offense was lacking in the second half

Offensively, the Chargers moved the ball well in the first half. But once again they were terribly uneven from one half to the next.

Last week in Kansas City, the Chargers went scoreless in the first half and turned things around in the second half, scoring 17 points. This week they scored 17 points in the first half and went scoreless in the second half. In fact, the Chargers scored 17 points on their first three drives. They didn’t score after Harbaugh decided to punt from the Bucs’ 41-yard line on a fourth-and-5 in the second quarter.

The only consistent thing about the Chargers offense is its inconsistency. The Chargers didn’t have a complete performance on this side. They lack a truly explosive element, and that makes it difficult to keep up with good offenses when the defense isn’t playing at a high level.

Justin Herbert threw his first interception since Week 2. The Chargers couldn’t run the ball. Receiver Ladd McConkey played well in the first half after missing last week, but dropped two passes in the second half. At this point in the season, we can say what is: This offense is a subpar unit. And if the defense doesn’t dominate, the Chargers won’t be able to keep up with the NFL’s true competitors. — Poppers

Evans dominates

Evans emerged with a high-octane performance from the Bucs’ offense. The Chargers couldn’t cover him – strong, in the zone, on loose plays. Evans had two explosive touchdowns in the third quarter. One went for 57 yards. The other went for 35 yards. And the Bucs pulled away. Evans caught nine of his 11 targets for 159 yards and two touchdowns. He won that matchup with Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton. Evans finished the game with the most receiving yards since Week 13 of 2023. It was his best game of the season and it helped the Bucs extend their NFC South lead to two games in the win column over the Atlanta Falcons, who play on Monday night the Atlanta Falcons play the Las Vegas Raiders. — Poppers

Required reading

(Photo: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)