It came down to the wire, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the New Orleans Saints in a thriller, 27-19, to win the NFC South. 

Coming into this contest, the Bucs knew they had a win-and-in position, as the Atlanta Falcons needed to defeat the Carolina Panthers and hope for a Tampa Bay loss to sneak into the playoffs as the division winner. 

But Tampa Bay is heading to the playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the NFC, and they will await who they will host in the wild-card round with the loser of the Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings game on Sunday night finishing the seeding in the conference. 

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It might have been a jubilation at Raymond James Stadium at the final whistle, but there were a lot of nervous Bucs fans when halftime came around and the Spencer Rattler-led Saints owned a 16-6 lead. 

The Saints were playing in their first game since the senseless act of violence took place in New Orleans’ French Quarter in the wee hours of New Year’s Day, a terror attack that killed 14 and left many more injured. 

A moment of silence was held for all those in the New Orleans community before kickoff, where a true show of patriotism was captured on the Fox Sports broadcast. 

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And it was all New Orleans to start this game, as they scored on each of their first four drives – three field goals and a touchdown pass by Rattler to Dante Pettis. 

Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield and the Bucs were trying to find something, and they got exactly what they needed to begin the second half. Mayfield orchestrated a 10-play, 72-yard drive that ended in a Peyton Durham touchdown to finally get the Bucs a touchdown on the day. The 16-13 deficit was more than manageable. 

However, the Saints’ defense wasn’t helping matters, as they were pesky and forced a Mayfield interception despite the Bucs’ defense getting a three-and-out after their touchdown. 

After adding another field goal, the Saints owned a 19-13 lead heading into the fourth quarter where the Bucs entered desperation mode. Luckily for them, Mayfield wasn’t fazed. 

Early in the fourth quarter, Mayfield stepped up in a collapsing pocket and delivered an absolute strike to Jalen McMillan, who kept two feet in the front right of the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown to give the Bucs a 20-19 lead after the extra point. 

Then, the icing on the cake was a broken play that resulted in a Bucky Irving 11-yard rush for the touchdown. 

The Bucs ultimately turned the Saints over on downs on their final drive, and with just seconds left to play, Tampa Bay and its fan base were celebrating the division title and the victory. 

But what made this win even more special was what the Bucs did with their final snap of the game, as veteran receiver Mike Evans needed five catches and 85 yards to reach a $3 million incentive while also becoming the first player in NFL history to have reached 1,000 receiving yards in his first 11 seasons. 

Evans, who was stuck at eight catches for 80 yards, caught a pass for nine yards from Mayfield and he launched the ball in the air after getting tackled, knowing he just made NFL history and $3 million. 

Looking at the stat sheet, Mayfield finished 21-of-32 for 221 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, with Evans catching nine passes for 89 yards. Irving finished with 89 rushing yards on 19 carries. 

For the Saints, Rattler was 26-for-42 for 240 yards with his one touchdown pass, while tight end Juwan Johnson led the way with six catches for 80 yards. 

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Once again, the NFC South division title is going to come down to the wire for the four teams involved, meaning a win for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – the leaders entering Week 17 – was crucial on Sunday. 

Baker Mayfield was up to the task. 

Mayfield delivered five touchdown passes, including two to trusty receiver Mike Evans, to lead the Bucs over the Carolina Panthers, 48-14, at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday. 

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The Bucs improved to 9-7 on the season, and they will be watching "Sunday Night Football" intently as the Atlanta Falcons, who sit behind them in the division at 8-7, are on the road against the Washington Commanders. 

Mayfield was having one of those days when it seemed no matter where the ball needed to be for his receivers, he got it there with pinpoint accuracy and strength. 

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He was 27-of-32 through the air for 359 yards with his five touchdown passes that began immediately when Evans capped the opening drive with a quick slant in the end zone for six points. Evans had eight catches for 97 yards to lead the Bucs through the air. 

But Mayfield also found rookie wideout Jalen McMillan for two second-half touchdowns, as he continues to prove in this back half of the season that his quarterback can trust him in his inaugural season. He had five catches for 51 yards with the two scores.

And finally, Payne Durham, one of the tight ends picking up the slack for the injured Cade Otton, found pay dirt with one of his two catches on the day.

No one was able to get in on the ground for the Bucs, but it was Bucky Irving leading the charge there with 113 yards on 20 carries to set the tone. 

The day also saw some special teams magic as the Bucs blocked a Panthers punt that J.J. Russell scooped up and ran back for a touchdown as part of Tampa Bay’s 21-0 second-half rout of their divisional foe. 

Bryce Young and the Panthers initially matched the Bucs’ firepower to start the game, as Adam Thielen caught a touchdown pass on their opening drive to make it a 7-7 ballgame. Thielen would get another from Young later in the game as part of his five-catch, 110-yard day. 

However, Tampa Bay’s defense turned it up in the second half, stopping any attempt from the Panthers to get back into the game. 

Overall, Young finished 15-of-28 through the air for 203 yards with his two touchdowns to Thielen. 

The Bucs head into Week 18 to face a depleted New Orleans Saints team, and they will hope the Falcons can pick up a loss somewhere in the next two weeks with Atlanta owning the season tiebreaker over them.

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