The 8-7 Bucs returned to Raymond James Stadium on Sunday afternoon, hosting the 4-11 Panthers in a must-win game. With a victory, Tampa Bay could put pressure on Atlanta in the NFC South race and keep its hopes alive heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

The Bucs got off to a fast start, scoring their eighth opening-drive touchdown of the season to take a 7-0 lead. The Panthers responded with a quick opening-drive score of their own to tie the game at 7-7, but Tampa Bay scored 20 straight points from there to take a commanding 27-7 lead late in the first half. Carolina didn’t go quietly, though, getting within 27-14 just before the break.

But after halftime, the Bucs finished the Panthers off in convincing fashion. Tampa Bay’s defense pitched a second-half shutout while the offense scored twice and the punt block team added another, leading to a dominant 48-14 win. Todd Bowles and his team are now 9-7 and remain firmly in the hunt for the division title heading into the season finale.

Here’s a recap of all the action from Sunday’s convincing victory at Ray Jay:

Bucs 48, Panthers 14

Bucs WR Mike Evans, RB Bucky Irving and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

The Panthers won the coin toss and deferred, meaning it would be Baker Mayfield and the Bucs offense opening things up to start the afternoon. Their opening drive got going quickly, with Bucky Irving getting six, 10 and 12 yards on his first three carries with a 9-yard catch by Mike Evans mixed in. From there, Mayfield hit Payne Durham for a 31-yard gain over the middle to set up a 2-yard touchdown pass to Evans. The six-play, 70-yard drive took just 3:25 and gave Tampa Bay an early 7-0 lead.

It didn’t take long for the Panthers to threaten on their first drive, with Bryce Young finding Adam Thielen for a 31-yard gain to the Bucs’ 34 on their second offensive play. After Young and Jalen Coker linked up for 15 more yards two plays later to get inside the red zone, Young then hit Thielen again for a 17-yard touchdown to tie the game right back up at 7-7 only 3:20 after Tampa Bay took the lead.

The Buccaneer offense looked to answer right back, with a 20-yard catch by Evans and two catches for 41 yards by rookie tight end Devin Culp highlighting a long drive. But after Culp’s second catch set up a 1st & Goal, the drive stalled and the Bucs had to settle for a 23-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal to make it a 10-7 game. Despite taking the lead, a 12-play, 75-yard drive that lasted over seven minutes only resulting in a field goal felt like a missed opportunity for Tampa Bay.

Todd Bowles’ defense fared better on Carolina’s second possession, forcing a three-and-out with a third-down sack by Calijah Kancey bringing the opening quarter to an end.

Starting from their own 39, Mayfield and the Bucs offense got right back at it. An 11-yard catch by Rakim Jarrett and an 11-yard run by rookie Kameron Johnson sparked another trip to the red zone, where the drive stalled once again. McLaughlin came on and nailed a 34-yard field goal this time, extending the home team’s lead to 13-7 with 10:31 to play in the second quarter.

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: USA Today

The Buccaneer defense stood tall once again on the next Panthers possession, with three incompletions bringing on a punt in just 15 seconds.

Two explosive plays from Bucky Irving did most of the work on the next drive, with the rookie breaking free for a 34-yard run before he took a short pass from Mayfield for another 42 yards to the goal line. One play later, Mayfield and Evans connected for their second touchdown of the day to make it a 20-7 game with 8:19 left in the first half.

After a third straight Carolina three-and-out, the Buccaneer offense continued to move the ball right down the field on the Panther defense. Irving was once again a key part of that, and he made history along the way by becoming the franchise’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Doug Martin in 2015. That 11-play, 64-yard drive came to an end with Mayfield throwing his third touchdown of the half — this one a 10-yarder to Jalen McMillan — to make it a 27-7 Tampa Bay lead.

Carolina responded within seconds, as a short pass to Xavier Legette and a roughing the passer penalty on Vita Vea set up a 40-yard touchdown pass from Young to Thielen. That got the visitors back within 27-14 with 50 seconds to go before halftime. That’s where the score remained heading into the break, as the Panthers did get the ball back only for Eddy Pineiro to miss a 53-yard field goal.

Back-to-back sacks from Yaya Diaby and Anthony Nelson killed Carolina’s opening drive in the second half, then Tampa Bay’s offense went for the knockout punch. Mayfield engineered a 10-play, 94-yard touchdown drive that took 5:50 off the clock, finishing it off with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Payne Durham. Mayfield’s fourth touchdown pass of the day and the first touchdown of Durham’s career made it a 34-14 lead for the home team with 5:48 to go in the third quarter.

After the Tampa Bay defense got another stop, chaos ensued. There was a duck on the field for the ensuing punt, but before anyone had a chance to see how it would react to the ball being sent its way, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka blocked Johnny Hekker’s punt and J.J. Russell scooped it up and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown to make it a 41-14 game. Yes, really.

The third quarter soon came to an end with Tampa Bay leading 41-14 and driving deep into Carolina territory.

Early in the fourth, the Bucs kept piling on. Mayfield threw his fifth touchdown of the day, finding McMillan for a second time from 16 yards out to make it a 48-14 game. That marked the rookie’s sixth touchdown catch in the last four games.

After Carolina killed some clock and crossed midfield, Chris Braswell and Logan Hall came through with back-to-back sacks to end the drive. With only 7:33 to go and the Bucs leading 48-14, that meant it was Kyle Trask time. Mayfield was relieved for the rest of the afternoon after finishing 27-of-32 for 359 yards and five touchdowns, which tied a career high.

Tampa Bay’s offense drained clock from there, killing the final 7:33. A few kneel-downs from Trask inside the Carolina 20 put the finishing touches on what ended up being a dominant 48-14 win for the home team.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Mayfield was the star of the day for the Bucs, but this was a team effort. Bucky Irving crossed the 1,000-yard rushing mark on a day in which he finished with 190 all-purpose yards, while Mike Evans caught eight of his nine targets for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie receiver Jalen McMillan added two receiving touchdowns as well, while second-year tight end Payne Durham hauled in his first career touchdown as part of Mayfield’s five-score day.

The Tampa Bay defense allowed some chunk plays in the first half, but got it together over the final two quarters and helped close the game out. Yaya Diaby, Logan Hall, Anthony Nelson, Calijah Kancey and Chris Braswell all notched sacks while Carolina was held to just 203 total yards and a 2-of-9 mark on third downs. Overall, the Bucs outgained the Panthers 551-203.

The Bucs (9-7) will close out the regular season next weekend against the Saints (5-11), with the date and kickoff time to be announced by the NFL at the conclusion of Week 17.