Bryce Young threw for a season-high 298 yards, but missed field goals, dropped passes and a fumble in overtime doomed the Carolina Panthers as they lost 26-23 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

First quarter

Both teams traded threes and outs early in the game, followed by poor punts. There was a slight delay after the Panthers’ first drive as an official had to be removed after colliding with a player.

After completing three runs on all passes on the first drive, the Panthers did the same with three runs on the second drive. Johnny Hekker augmented his own terrible first punt with a 33-yard second punt. The Bucs took advantage of the good field position and worked their way into scoring range. A soft pass interference call against Mike Jackson on third down gave the Bucs three more chances in the first half. They went back to the fade route to Mike Evans, who made an incredible one-handed catch for the touchdown.

Jonathon Brooks took over running back duties on the third drive and got a touch on the first play. After catching the checkdown, he made two players miss and picked up a first down. The Panthers got within field goal range and settled for three points on 4th-and-1.

Second quarter

The second quarter began with a punt by the Bucs after another stop by the defense. The offense worked its way into scoring range after Bryce Young extended a play under pressure and found Tommy Tremble wide open on the sideline. In the end, they settled for another field goal, this time on fourth-and-4, but Eddy Pineiro scored.

Jadeveon Clowney tripped Baker Mayfield on a Bucs possession, putting their offense in an inescapable hole. Trenton Gill hit another punt and the Panthers set up at the Bucs’ 36-yard line. A Bucs penalty applied to a run by Chuba Hubbard put the Panthers in the red zone. They tried to derail their own drive with a false start, but Young escaped the pocket on third down and sprinted to the pylon for a Panthers touchdown.

The Bucs leaned on Mike Evans on the ensuing drive, and Baker Mayfield hit him for a couple of big gains. They ran inside the ten-yard line, but the Panthers’ defense made a few stops before a false start penalty aborted the drive. Chase McLaughlin kicked a game-winning field goal.

The Panthers got one more possession before halftime. Young found a few more completions, and a questionable passer tackle on the Bucs put the Panthers in opposing territory. A false start by David Moore turned a 3rd-and-9 into a 3rd-and-14 yard. Young found Thielen for a 12-yard completion. The Panthers kicked the field goal on 4th-and-2, and Pineiro missed it again. Good thing Dave Canales played it safe, right?

Jaycee Horn committed a 14-yard pass interference on the first play of the Bucs’ ensuing drive. A few plays later, Chau Smith-Wade managed an ill-advised checkdown that took him back near midfield. Young additions like Adam Thielen, Tommy Tremble and David Moore put the Panthers in position inside the 20-yard line. Young found Thielen with a dart on a post route. The receiver bobbed it but was able to gain control just in time as his knee hit the ground in the back of the end zone. Unfortunately, the referees didn’t agree with this and left the call as an incomplete pass. The Panthers had to settle for another field goal attempt, and this time Pineiro pushed it just inside the left upright.

Third quarter

The Panthers defense held firm on the first drive of the second half and forced a punt. However, the offensive did not stop its end. The Panthers stuck to their pass-heavy attack and worked just above midfield, but the push stalled there when Xavier Legette deflected a third-down pass from Young.

The defense continued to put pressure on Baker Mayfield. Amare Barno made a nice close tackle on Mayfield as he escaped into midfield. Ejiro Evero brought home the next play and Josey Jewell came to quarterback. Mayfield was injured when he stepped on him in the chaos of bodies.

After another three-and-out by the Panthers, followed by a short punt that benefited from a friendly layup, Kyle Trask took over at quarterback for the Bucs. He was out for two plays before Mayfield entered the field to throw a third interception to Xavier Woods.

The interception moved the Panthers to the 20-yard line. The first play was a nice nine-yard dart run from Jonathon Brooks. Young escaped a free runner on third down and found Brooks in the flat to set up a goal-to-go situation. They couldn’t put the ball in and had to kick another field goal. The quarter ended with the Panthers leading by six.

Fourth quarter

The Bucs hit Bucky Irving on their next possession, and he kept finding space to gain yards. It took him a few plays to gather himself as the Bucs reached the redzone, but he came back to weave through the Panthers’ defense and make the touchdown possible.

With the Panthers in familiar territory and trailing the Bucs, Young was sacked by a nearly open runner on first down, although the Bucs applied no additional pressure. This ended the journey before it had begun. The Bucs immediately jumped back on the Bucky bandwagon and he drove them to the 10 with a 43-yard run. He was spellbound by Rachaad White and couldn’t complete the drive. A’Shawn Robinson fumbled a 3rd-and-1 run and ended up losing five yards. The Bucs settled for a field goal to take a 20-16 lead.

Bucs punter Trenton Gill’s tough day continued as his line drive kickoff landed short of the landing zone, giving the Panthers the ball at the 40-yard line. A few passes to David Moore and a few runs from Hubbard gave the Panthers a few first downs. Tommy Tremble caught a big chunk on a sub route that he was almost able to get out of. On the next play, Young scrambled to the pocket and found Thielen at the goal line for a 25-yard touchdown.

They gave Baker Mayfield too much time (30 seconds). He hit Mike Evans down the middle of the field for 17 yards to take it close to the 50-yard line. He gained another first down on the Panthers’ 45-yard line. Short passes to Jalen McMillan and Sterling Shepherd set up a 51-yard field goal, sending the game into overtime. McLaughlin hit it right down the middle.

Over time

Caleb Farley called an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty early on to give the Bucs good field position going into overtime. It took two plays for the Bucs to cross midfield and reach the Panthers’ 40-yard line. A Trevin Wallace sack gave the Bucs the lead on a third-and-long, bailing out the Panthers’ suddenly struggling defense. Mayfield checked it and set up McLaughlin for a 55-yard kick. McLaughlin was about to score the game-winning field goal and moved to his left.

Adam Thielen made an incredible one-handed diving catch on third down to keep the Panthers’ drive alive and put them within field goal range. On the next play, the ball was ripped away from Chuba Hubbard and he was recovered by the defense. An intermediate pass to Mike Evans and a long run from Rachaad White were enough for the Bucs to set up the game-winning field goal.

overview

Individual mistakes will be the story of a game the Panthers will feel like they should have won. Eddy Pineiro missed two very makeable field goals. If he manages even one of those, the Panthers will most likely be the regular winners. Adam Thielen probably should have been awarded a touchdown, but his bobble allowed the referee to make an incomplete decision on the field, and there were no angles that could definitively overturn the decision. David Moore and Xavier Legette had a couple of drops that ended the drives. And of course, Chuba Hubbard’s fumble with the Panthers within field goal range sealed the team’s fate.

Aside from the poorly timed individual errors, the Panthers played well. Bryce Young wasn’t quite as sharp as he was against the Chiefs, but he played some good ball and looked poised and confident. Jonathon Brooks had some pop when given room to operate. The defense had a few more sacks and forced a few turnovers. The team is definitely on the up.

Next up is a visit to the up-and-coming Philadelphia Eagles.