The stakes were at their highest this season for the Bucs and Panthers. Tampa Bay traveled to Carolina badly needing a win to secure a fifth straight NFC South title. For the home team, they have surprisingly hovered around .500 all year and are playing meaningful football under head coach Dave Canales. In this battle between two 7-7 teams, it was a back-and-forth affair that lived up to the feeling that either side could pull off the victory. In the end, the Panthers pulled it off after Baker Mayfield’s late interception, beating the Bucs 23-20.

Another crushing loss puts Tampa Bay at 7-8 after starting 6-2, needing to win out to have a chance at winning the NFC South. Carolina is now atop the division at 8-7 with two games to go. This calls for the latest installment of Most Disappointing following Week 16.

OC Josh Grizzard

It is one thing to run it on first down, but another to be absolutely stubborn to the extent Josh Grizzard was. In turn, it made the Bucs’ offense too predictable. Outside of Mike Evans’ 1-yard touchdown catch on first down, the remaining nine first-down situations to begin the game were all runs. All nine… runs. That was the theme throughout the game, and Grizzard has to diversify the opening down playcalling for more chances at catching opposing defenses off-guard. Possessing the best four-deep wide receiving corps in the NFL, utilizing them in more creative ways on early downs (in play action, for example) is a missed opportunity.

Also, what in the world happened when the offense had a chance at the two-minute warning in the first half to drive down and get some points? After another first down run, two short passes were attempted with Luke Goedeke being called for two penalties. Grizzard’s playcalling here deserves mention as disappointing, as there is no excuse not to push the ball downfield in this situation. A lack of faith in the passing game and an overemphasis on the run game is head-scratching, to say the least.

Making matters worse is the fact the Panthers did the exact opposite with Bryce Young finding Tetairoa McMillan for a 22-yard touchdown at the end of the half. Overall, Grizzard was far too conservative considering the personnel he had at his disposal. That made the mind-numbing mistake between Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans that more deafening of a blow for the Bucs’ playoff chances.

QB Baker Mayfield

Driving down the field with a chance to showcase the Mayfield Magic from earlier this season, the Bucs quarterback instead threw the game away — literally. Scrambling and looking for Mike Evans, Mayfield instead made an inerrant throw that went right into the hands of Panthers safety Lathan Ransom. That led to the Panthers coming away with a 23-20 game and sucking what life was left in Tampa Bay’s season. They still have a chance to make the playoffs if they win out, but the team’s quarterback needed to play better and come up with big plays when they matter most.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: IMAGN – Jim Dedmon

Grizzard’s game script did not help, but Mayfield had a pedestrian statline, completing just 18 of 26 passes for 145 yards with a touchdown and an interception. His stretch of lower variance play has reared its ugly head in the second half of the season, as it seems like eons ago that he was an MVP frontrunner.

Red Zone Run Game

The Bucs failed to punch it in with their trio of running backs in the first half. A 14-play, 85-yard drive stalled out near the goal line after some questionable playcalling by Josh Grizzard. It is not the first time Grizzard’s gameplan within the 5-yard line has made for a frustrating watch. It started with Rachaad White gaining no yards on first-and-goal. With Charlie Heck coming in on second-and-goal, it got Tampa Bay down to the 2-yard line.

The offense brought out the big guns on third down with Ben Chukwuma and Vita Vea coming on. Even with Vea at fullback, the play was dead in the water as the main run lane was blocked, forcing Tucker to try and cut it back to no avail. After scoring a touchdown on the first offensive drive throwing it to Mike Evans, there was not a passing play called in this sequence. In a “can’t-lose” game, this level of execution is inexcusable. Grizzard changed it up more near the goal line in the second half, but this is yet another area for Grizzard to improve on.

Bucs Pass Rush

Even Jason Pierre-Paul could not save the poor play of the Bucs pass rush. Signing JPP was a desperate move, with this game being the latest example of why Tampa Bay needs more pass rush help. Vita Vea is a good player, but there is no reason why over the past 32 regular-season games he is the team’s leading sacker with 11.5 sacks. No one else can bring down the quarterback. Yaya Diaby missed bringing down Bryce Young several times although he applied pressure, as well as Logan Hall.

Bucs DT Vita Vea and Panthers QB Bryce Young – Photo by: IMAGN – Bob Donnan

Diaby had the ability to have a big game facing backup left tackle Yosh Nijman but failed, while Hall lacks the instincts to make plays despite being in a position to. Young dipping out of the pocket and eluding Diaby and Hall to throw a touchdown in the back of the endzone to Ja’Tavion Sanders at the end of the third quarter was something that should not happen — under any circumstances.

RT Luke Goedeke

Luke Goedeke was called for four penalties in this game. He drew two flags in the first half in the aforementioned two-minute sequence, and two more in the fourth quarter. Both of Goedeke’s false start penalties were blatantly obvious, as he was getting into his set way too early. He was also called for being an ineligible man downfield after he sprinted past the line of scrimmage on a short pass play, and to top it off, for offensive holding negating a 10-yard Baker Mayfield run. Tampa Bay’s starting right tackle must clean it up.

CB Jamel Dean

For how well Jamel Dean has played this season, this game was the worst time for him to give up a costly touchdown. As mentioned above, Dean got burnt by Tetairoa McMillan down the left sideline at the end of the first half, leading to the Panthers heading to the locker room for a 13-10 lead. On the play, he looked back way too early as McMillan created separation and hauled in Bryce Young’s pass for an easy score.

Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan – Photo by: IMAGN – Jim Dedmon

It should be noted that Dean was also left out to dry after Todd Bowles decided to call a zero blitz in that situation, leaving him man-on-man. It was a combination of poor playcalling and execution, and allowing Carolina’s only touchdown in the first half in this fashion is more than enough to make the list.

John Bullock’s Boneheaded Play

Getting the ball back for one final offensive drive, there is no margin for error to make boneheaded decisions. That is what reserve inside linebacker John Bullock did by putting his helmet into a Panthers player’s face after the kickoff went for a touchback. It led to Bullock being called for unnecessary roughness, forcing the offense to start at their own 10-yard line. Horrible time to be undisciplined, especially in a matchup with playoff implications.

Bucs Run Defense

After once being the biggest staple of Todd Bowles’ defense, the Bucs have regressed significantly in stopping the run. It first started to stick out a few weeks ago against the Cardinals. Since then, each opponent has found success running the football. That trend continued, as Tampa Bay allowed chunk gains to Rico Dowdle, Chuba Hubbard, and Bryce Young. Even Jimmy Horn Jr. took an end-around down the right sideline for 25 yards in the first quarter.

It starts with properly fitting the run on the outside, with Yaya Diaby caught selling out to get after the quarterback on more than one occasion. There was not adequate contain, and up the middle, Vita Vea needs more support around him. This is no longer a strength of the defense but a glaring weakness, as the Panthers rushed 20 times for 101 yards on the game, averaging over five yards a pop.