The Bucs employed a scared gameplan that created the very situation they wanted to avoid. As such they gave away the game and the division lead losing to the Panthers 23-20. There were very few bright spots, but here was the best of a bad bunch. Here is the Bucs’ most impressive list in week 16.

Bucs Wide Receivers

Tampa Bay shied away from their passing game despite considerable investment in their receiving corps. Two former-first round picks, two former third-round picks. Over $42 million per year. But they actively took the ball out of the best room in their building.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Jim Dedmon

Mike Evans had two crucial catches on the Bucs’ first drive. The first was on second-and-9 near midfield when he pulled in a pass on a quick slant and bullied his way up field for a 13-yard gain and a first down to keep the Bucs out of third and long. He capped off the drive with another physical play – this time just reaching up over Mike Jackson for a one-yard goal line fade touchdown.

Evans would add more catches underneath to help the passing attack — when the Bucs were forced to use it on 3rd and medium-to-long — continue to limp along. He finished the game with five catches for 31 yards and a touchdown.

Chris Godwin Jr. was Mayfield’s security blanket on the day. He picked up three first downs in critical spots on scoring drives and showed the reliable hands in big spots that made him the star Tampa Bay has come to love. He finished the game with five catches on six targets for 30 yards.

Emeka Egbuka showed up with a huge 40-yard catch in the fourth quarter, while Jalen McMillan added two catches for 15 yards and a first down.

CB Jacob Parrish

Jacob Parrish was everywhere on defense, and one of the lone bright spots on that side of the ball. Parrish broke up not one, but two passes in the end zone to prevent touchdowns and generally just plastered every Panthers receiver that lined up against him.

Against Tetairoa McMillan and his six-inch height advantage, Parrish played fearless jumping at the exact right moment for a pass break up on a slot seam-fade in the first half. He broke up another seam ball to Jalen Coker in the second half. Parrish allowed just 33 yards on five targets for the game while adding several strong tackles after catches and in the run game while rallying to the ball.

RBs Bucky Irving and Rachaad White

Bucky Irving created the bulk of the Bucs’ yards on their first drive, carrying the ball five times for 25 yards. Irving’s best run was fake zone trap down in the red zone that gave him the room to bounce off a couple of defenders for 12 yards to the Panthers one-yard line. The run set up Mike Evans’ touchdown to put Tampa Bay up 7-3. Despite everyone and their mother’s knowing Irving was going to get the ball on two out of every three plays; he still found lanes and broke tackles to give the offense a shot.

Irving averaged 3.7 yards on 19 carries for a total of 71 yards. Those numbers look pedestrian but given that the gameplan called for Irving to run headlong into the Panthers defense play after play, the effort was Herculean.

Not to be outdone by his position-mate, Rachaad White got the bulk of the carries on the Bucs’ second drive. He made the most of his opportunity with a cutback run for 39 yards to the Carolina 41-yard line. With an illegal use of hands penalty on Panthers’ defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson added at the end of the run, the play put Tampa Bay in field goal range.

Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: IMAGN – Bob Donnan

White ran the ball five times for 45 yards and added two catches for another 15 yards.

OLB Yaya Diaby

Perhaps Yaya Diaby needed some pressure placed on him in the form of a veteran challenging him. Perhaps he just needed to focus on rushing the passer against a backup left tackle. Whatever it was, Diaby showed up in this game. He consistently sped up Panthers’ quarterback Bryce Young by delivering pocket-collapsing pressure from Young’s backside.

Diaby just barely missed a sack on Carolina’s first drive down in the redzone, falling just as he was about to bring down the signal-caller. Vita Vea would do his best Diaby impression just fractions of a second later flushing Young out of the pocket to eventually throw the ball away. The Panthers would settle for a field goal two plays later.

Diaby had Young dead to rights in the third quarter only to get held (not called) before Young found Ja’Tavion Sanders in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. He was the majority of the Bucs’ pass rush on the game, totaling 10 pressures and three quarterback hits.

K Chase McLaughlin

Chase McLaughlin came through when the Bucs needed him, knocking through 48-yard and 50-yard field goals. McLaughlin is one of the best players on this underperforming team and someone they can rely on for consistency. His second field goal tied the game up 20-20, showing his ability to make kicks when they count. Unfortunately, his efforts were not enough in this one.