Returning home for a New Year’s Day matchup with the Panthers, the Bucs used the reemergence of their trusted Tom Brady-Mike Evans connection to overcome an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit and win 30-24, clinching the NFC South for the second straight year.

Tampa Bay couldn’t have started much worse, as the defense allowed Sam Darnold to go 4-of-4 for 60 yards on a six-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Tremble to open the game. Then, on their first offensive possession, a Donovan Smith holding penalty and a Mike Evans drop set the Bucs back. It looked like they came through with a big third-down conversion, though, with Tom Brady connecting with Chris Godwin. Only, after picking up some yards after the catch, Godwin had the ball punched loose by Sam Franklin Jr.

Panthers QB Sam Darnold – Photo by: USA Today

The two teams traded punts from there until the 12-minute mark in the second quarter, when Carolina got moving again. A 15-yard pass from Darnold to Terrace Marshall got the Panthers into Bucs territory, then a fourth-down conversion gave them a fresh set of downs at the 29. Three plays later, Darnold found D.J. Moore for a 24-yard touchdown to extend the visitors’ lead to 14-0.

Just when it looked like the Bucs were dead in the water, they found a lifeline in the form of an old, reliable connection. Brady and Evans, who have struggled to link up throughout this season, sent Raymond James Stadium into a frenzy with a 63-yard touchdown that got Tampa Bay back within seven points. That catch also put Evans over 1,000 yards for the ninth consecutive season.

The Buccaneer defense kept the good vibes flowing on the Panthers’ ensuing possession, with Devin White recovering a Darnold fumble at the Carolina 13. The downside was that the offense only turned that into three points, settling for a Ryan Succop 22-yard field goal on 4th & 1 at the 4 to get within 14-10 ahead of halftime.

Out of the break, the Bucs picked up one first down before having to punt the ball away, spoiling a chance to take their first lead of the day. But after it looked like the Panthers were about to march down the field and extend theirs, Sean Murphy-Bunting intercepted Darnold on a deep ball. With the turnover, Tampa Bay took over at its 2 with another chance to take a lead.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs got moving quickly, with Brady finding Godwin for 18 yards before a 13-yard run by Julio Jones. A couple more passes to Godwin got the ball across midfield, then Evans climbed the ladder for a high-point catch at the Panthers’ 23 for another first down. Later, facing a 4th & 2 at the 15, Brady found Russell Gage for a first down to the 10. But three plays later, the Bucs looked to settle for another field goal. Only this time, Succop’s kick was blocked, which meant the 15-play, 90-yard drive ended in nothing.

To make matters worse, Carolina drove right down the field on its ensuing possession, thanks in large part to a 47-yard completion from Darnold to Moore, who beat Jamel Dean in coverage. And on a 3rd & 7 early in the fourth quarter, the Panthers added to their lead. Darnold threw his third touchdown pass of the day, a 19-yarder to Shi Smith. With 14:50 to go, Carolina held an 11-point lead at 21-10.

Just when the Bucs needed something to spark another fourth-quarter comeback, they got it. Brady connected with Evans again on a deep ball, with this one going for a 57-yard touchdown. The ensuing two-point conversion try failed, keeping Tampa Bay behind 21-16 with 13:49 left.

On the Panthers’ next possession, they killed a couple of minutes before a delay of game on 3rd & 5 pushed them back. After a third-down incompletion, they punted it back to the Bucs, who took over at their own 8 needing a touchdown to take the lead.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: USA Today

Brady and the offense went no-huddle on the next drive, and it worked to perfection. Passes to Godwin got the Bucs out of the shadow of their end zone, then Gage came through with a 21-yard catch across midfield. Two plays later, Brady and Evans struck again with a 30-yard touchdown to give the Bucs the lead. And after a successful two-point conversion, Tampa Bay held a 24-21 advantage with 6:47 to go.

It was up to the defense from there, and the unit got the job done with a three-and-out. Carolina punted the ball away, which put the responsibility back on Brady and Co. to kill some clock. One first down killed a couple of minutes, but the Bucs soon had to punt the ball away again.

Carolina needed a field goal to force overtime, and it got the furthest thing from that. On the first play of the next drive, Anthony Nelson got to Darnold for a strip-sack and Vita Vea recovered the ball at the 6. That set up a one-yard touchdown run by Brady, which put the Bucs up 30-21 with 1:58 to go. Succop’s missed extra point kept it a nine-point game, so with all three timeouts and two minutes to work with, it wasn’t over for the visitors.

The Panthers went to work and moved the ball well, but burnt a lot of time in doing so. They ended up settling for a second-down field goal, which got them back within one possession with 59 seconds to go. Cade Otton recovered the onside kick from there and the Bucs then made Carolina burn its final three timeouts before punting the ball away with 26 seconds left.

Carolina took over from its own 8 after the punt and ultimately went nowhere. The Bucs wrapped up the game and the division with one week left in the regular season.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

Brady had his best game of the season, totaling 432 yards and three touchdowns on 34-of-45 passing while adding a late rushing touchdown. Evans also came through with a massive performance, catching 10 passes for 207 yards and three scores. Godwin got in on the fun as well, posting 120 yards on nine catches.

Defensively, the Bucs forced three turnovers, tallied two sacks and held the potent Carolina ground game to just 74 yards on 22 attempts (3.4 avg.). Nelson and Antoine Winfield Jr. came up with the sacks, while Vea and White recovered fumbles to go with Murphy-Bunting’s interception,

With the win, the 8-8 Bucs have secured the NFC South crown for the second consecutive season. They’ll host the No. 5 seed on Wild Card Weekend. But first, they’ll close out the regular season next week with a road trip to face the Falcons (6-10) in Atlanta.