After a second half where the Bucs offense finally came alive, the Bucs beat the Panthers at home 21-18. The win brings the Bucs to 5-7 overall and 2-1 in their division while setting up a battle for the division lead next week in Atlanta against the Falcons. Here are the most impressive players from the Bucs win that helped keep them in the playoff hunt.

S Ryan Neal

Following the back injury to K.J. Britt, Neal was forced to play out of position as the Bucs second linebacker in what effectively became a nickel base defense and a dime package against Carolina’s 11 personnel packages. Neal played well throughout the game in run support. Neal had four tackles on the day and generally helped fit the run well. None of those tackles was more significant than his goal-line stop of Chuba Hubbard in the first quarter.

The tackle for a three-yard loss (on third down) forced the Panthers to have to kick a field goal rather than try to score a touchdown on fourth down and helped keep the Bucs in the lead. The Bucs ended up allowing 133 yards rushing, most in the second half. But Neal being able to step into an unfamiliar position and help stop most of the Panthers offensive drives should be commended in a year he would otherwise like to forget.

WR Mike Evans

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

Evans was the Bucs’ offense for the majority of the game. He was Baker Mayfield’s primary target on the day with the Bucs quarterback throwing his way 12 times. While many of those targets had no chance of connecting, enough did to get Evans seven catches, 162 yards, and a touchdown.

As a matter of fact, I will let former Pewter Reporter Trev or Sikkema describe how impactful Evans was as a part of the Bucs passing game.

Baker Mayfield has 168 passing yards in this game. 144 of them are to Mike Evans.

— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) December 3, 2023

None were as big as the 75-yard catch and run on a deep post where he was able to lunge into the end zone before getting run out of bounds. This was the longest touchdown of his career.

Mike Evans goes 75 yards to get the lead back!

📺: #CARvsTB on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/xvCjbLUIcN pic.twitter.com/3aOjMTBQzj

— NFL (@NFL) December 3, 2023

Late in the 4th quarter, Evans would make an 11-yard catch that pushed him over 1,000 yards for the tenth consecutive year since he entered the league. He has been the model of consistency, constantly producing year after year while catching passes from Josh McCown, Mike Glennon, Jameis Winston, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tom Brady, and now Baker Mayfield.

Bucs Offensive Line

There were a couple of occasions throughout the day where Mayfield had to move through and out of the pocket, but on the whole, he was kept clean by the Bucs’ offensive line. Mayfield was able to throw deep multiple times throughout the game because Tristan Wirfs, Aaron Stinnie, Robert Hainsey, Cody Mauch, and Luke Goedeke were able to hold off Derrick Brown, Brian Burns and company for the most part.  In the NFL defenses are going to get a few pressures in a game, but the offensive line only allowed a single sack on the day.

The run game was a labor of love for the Bucs offense and specifically the offensive line, but they kept at it and ended with 130 yards on the ground with multiple runs of 10+ yards. That included the 30-yard run by Rachaad White on the final drive of the game to ice it. There have been warts with this unit this year, but this was yet another step forward for one of the better rooms on the team.

DT Calijah Kancey

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey and OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Panthers QB Bryce Young – Photo by: USA Today

Kancey continues to take steps forward with each passing game as he ascends up the ranks of interior pass rushers like a rocket. Kancey assaulted Panthers quarterback Bryce Young over and over, notching numerous pressures and two tackles while helping in run support throughout the day.

The November defensive rookie of the month was a menace up the middle all day and kept Young uncomfortable on drive after drive.

Bucs Edge Rushers

Yaya Diaby, Shaq Barrett, Joe-Tryon Shoyinka, Anthony Nelson, and Markees Watts dialed up the pressure all day and into the night on Young. While none of those players was able to finish with a sack, their relentless winning on the edge forced Young to look short on most throws and kept the young signal-caller uneasy on just about every dropback.

The Panthers have two talented offensive tackles in Taylor Moton and Ickem Ekwonu. Both are having down years and the Bucs outside linebacker room took advantage of winning the edge consistently and hampering the Panthers passing attack.

CB Carlton Davis

Davis was targeted multiple times and allowed only two catches. Davis had tight coverage on every receiver he lined up against and was especially effective at stopping out-breaking routes to the sideline. It was the second week in a row Davis played well in coverage after hitting some of the toughest stretches of his career just a few weeks ago against Houston and San Francisco.

Davis was also helpful in run support with five tackles and generally a menace at the line of scrimmage. Early in the game Davis was able to battle through two receivers to disrupt a would-be outside screen. He did give up a big 30-yard deep go ball to D.J. Chark, but even on that he had good coverage and Chark just made a great grab.

S Antoine Winfield Jr.

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. and Panthers QB Bryce Young – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs’ defense has oscillated between good and bad for much of the year. One part of that defense that has not is Antoine Winfield Jr. The all-world safety was a menace all game long. He led the team with six solo tackles, eight total tackles, and two tackles for loss, while also adding a sack, an interception, and three passes defensed.

This year the defense has required Winfield to play at an all-pro level for them to be good and he delivered today with game-changing and drive-ending plays over and over. Winfield’s sack in the third quarter came on third down to end a drive. And his interception with just 2:21 left in the game became the play that sealed the victory for the Bucs.

Winfield is arguably the best safety in football right now and his play today proved it. He was everywhere disrupting deep shot attempts, chasing down Carolina receivers and running backs to save big plays from being bigger and generally being the glue that kept the Bucs defense together.

RB Rachaad White

Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

White dropped two passes but didn’t let that deter him from being the Bucs’ second most impactful playmaker on offense behind Evans. He had trouble getting going in the first half where both of his drops occurred and when he couldn’t get going on the ground. But the offense kept going to him in a rainy affair and eventually White was able to break through with three catches for 22 yards, including a check down catch-and-run for 20 yards and a first down to end the third quarter.

That play would help lead to a drive that ended with a Bucs touchdown that put Tampa Bay up 11 points and helped create the separation that really changed the flow of the game.

White had eight carries for 50 yards in the second half en route to 14 points on offense that helped keep the Bucs in the race for first place in the NFC South. He would end the game with 20 carries for 84 yards and a 4.2 yards per carry plus a touchdown in addition to the three catches for 22 yards.