The 2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFC South by a two-game margin, but at one point on Sunday it looked like they could potentially be home for the playoffs.

Instead, Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes to rally the Buccaneers back from a 10-point halftime deficit against the New Orleans Saints en route to an emotional 27-19 victory that set the team's final regular season record at 10-7. Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers downed the Atlanta Falcons in overtime in Week 18 to drop to 8-9 as Tampa Bay won the NFC South for a fourth consecutive year.

"It feels great," said Head Coach Todd Bowles of the Bucs' run to the division title, which required six wins in the team's last seven games. "We went through a lot of ups and downs this year, a lot of injuries, guys fought hard. We went through a hurricane by the way, and with a lot of guys missing on both sides of the ball it's even more gratifying throughout the year for us to come out on top this way."

Tampa Bay's defense allowed just a single field goal in the second half after the Saints took a 16-6 lead into the intermission. Mayfield was particularly effective on two long scoring drives in the fourth quarter, as he completed seven of seven passes for 114 yards, a touchdown and a perfect 158.3 passer rating while also rushing for 34 yards. As a result, the Buccaneers had 186 yards of offense in that final period and turned a six-point deficit into an eight-point win on touchdowns from rookie sensations Jalen McMillan and Bucky Irving.

The game marked the first time since January 1, 2023 that the Buccaneers had won a game after trailing by at least 10 points at any point during the contest. That previous outing, a 30-24 win over the Panthers after Carolina had opened up a 14-0 lead, also was a division clincher in Week 17 of the 2022 season. In between, Tampa Bay lost 11 straight when trailing by 10 or more.

"We needed every bit of [Mayfield's heroics]," said Bowles. We knew it was going to be a tough game. The guys fought hard. I'm proud of our resilience to come back and win it."

That rally in 2022 was built on one of the best games of WR Mike Evans' career, as he caught 10 passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns. Sunday's effort against the Saints wasn't quite as explosive – nine catches for 89 yards – but it was equally historic. After the Tampa Bay defense got one last stop to halt a potential Saints rally, Mayfield and the offense had an opportunity to run one more play and it went to Evans, who got nine yards to finish with 1,004 on the season. In the process, he tied Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for the longest streak of 1,000-yard receiving seasons in NFL history. It had looked like that quest would come up short moments earlier when Irving took an improvised flip from Mayfield and dashed to end zone for an 11-yard score with less than two minutes left. Mayfield's initial target on the play was supposed to be Evans.

"He always has [put the team first]," said Mayfield. "That's why you love him. That's why we appreciate having him. We're lucky to have him. He's underappreciated throughout the media, the league. He's one of one and he deserves that. Obviously you saw the stadium erupt, the whole sideline erupt – you can tell how much people care about him and what that means for everybody around him."

Mayfield finished the game with 221 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 21 of 32 passing. He also ran for a career-high 68 yards on nine scrambles, several producing critical third-down conversions. That included a 10-yard dash on third-and-six on the touchdown drive that opened the second quarter, ending in TE Payne Durham's six-yard catch and cutting the Saints lead to three. Mayfield also ripped off a 28-yard run on third-and-14 on the fourth-quarter touchdown drive that ate up most of the remaining clock. Overall, the Buccaneers were 10 for 16 on third-down tries en route to 395 total yards.

McMillan continued his late-season surge, catching a touchdown pass for the fifth game in a row and giving him a total of seven scores in that span. His 32-yard toe-tapping grab in the end zone in the fourth quarter gave the Buccaneers their first lead of the game and finished a remarkable sequence for the 2024 third-round pick. First he hauled in a 33-yard catch on fourth-and-eight from the Saints' 42, taking the ball down to the nine. He was then flagged for taunting after making a first-down signal the officials interpreted to be mimicking a gun. Backed up 15 yards, the Bucs were in danger of settling for a field goal before his incredible sideline catch.

"He's matured," said Bowles of McMillan. "Even him getting the penalty, he acknowledged it was on him. He had his fingers taped; it wasn't really a gun salute. He's pointing it forward, but I told him the refs can't see the tape on his fingers. So he came back from the penalty to get the touchdown and I thought that was huge growth for him."

Irving started the game and ran 19 times for 89 yards and a score. Another rookie, TE Devin Culp added two big catches for 36 yards, including a 20-yarder on third down late in the third quarter.

The Saints were playing without starting quarterback Derek Carr and offensive stalwarts Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave, but they moved the ball well in the first half behind mostly quick passes by rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler. Rattler finished the game with 240 passing yards and a touchdown, but most of that came in the first half. For the fifth game in a row, Tampa Bay's defense held its opponent to three points or fewer in the second half. During that five-game span, the Bucs have allowed a total of nine second-half points.

"They're mentally tough," said Bowles of the Bucs' defense making adjustments. "[The Saints] nickel-and-dimed us in the first half and we gave up some plays. They were knick-knack playing us and we got frustrated. We kind of calmed down at halftime and they came out and played pretty much assignment football."

CB Josh Hayes was the Bucs' leading tackler as he filled in for an injured Jamel Dean, recording 11 stops. LB Lavonte David added nine tackles and a pass defensed and the team's two sacks were produced by OLB Yaya Diaby and DL Calijah Kancey. The Bucs held New Orleans to 64 rushing yards on 19 carries, marking the fourth straight opposing ground game they have held below 65 yards.

In addition to the game-winning stop at the end, the Buccaneers' defense also came up big during a five-minute sequence in the third quarter that could have swung the game irrevocably in the visitors' favor. First safety Jordan Howden intercepted a fluttering Mayfield pass that had been tipped at the line, giving the Saints possession in Bucs territory. The defense did not allow a first down and the Saints settled for one of Blake Grupe's four fields. Minutes later, punter Jack Browning dropped a snap and was only able to get off a shanked punt for 14 yards to the Bucs' 47. Diaby's sacked helped kill the ensuing drive and lead to a punt.

The Buccaneers struggled to find any offensive rhythm in the first half, failing to score a touchdown before halftime for the first time since a Week 10 loss to San Francisco. Meanwhile, the Saints mounted three scoring drives that consumed a combined 18 minutes off the clock, with three conversions on third downs and two on fourth downs. New Orleans had a roughly 2:1 edge at the break in both yardage (231 to 116) and time of possession (19:15 to 10:45) and, more importantly, a 10-point lead.

The Saints got the ball first at their 30 after an opening kickoff. The Bucs' defense was not fooled by a first-down play-action rollout and Diaby got to Rattler to force a throwaway. After a seven-yard out to WR Cedrick Wilson, a direct snap to RB Jordan Mims did work, as he got the right corner to get to the 43 for a first down. Two plays later, TE Juwan Johnson caught a short pass in the left flat and worked back to the middle for 19 yards after a would-be tackler slipped. The Saints went into their bag of tricks with a reverse-fleaflicker but Rattler had to settle for a short pass to Wilson for four yards. The Bucs seemed to have RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire stopped for a loss on a sweep right but nobody got him down and he broke out for a gain of 12 to the Bucs' 23. Three plays later, on third-and-two, Rattler threw wide to WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling but Tykee Smith and K.J. Britt got to him immediately and dropped him for a loss of one. The Saints settled for Grupe's 35-yard field goal.

RB Sean Tucker took the Saints' first kickoff out of the end zone and was helicoptered to the turf at the 23. A swing pass to Irving (technically a run) only got two but Mayfield's first pass was a 14-yard strike down the right numbers to McMillan. Irving got around right end and broke multiple tackles to get six yards and make it third-and-four, and Mayfield scrambled out of trouble and threw on the run to Culp, who made the catch in traffic for a gain of 16 into Saints territory. The Bucs faced a third-and-10 at the 39 and tried a tunnel screen to McMillan that didn't work at all. The punting unit came out but the Saints committed a running-into-the-kicker penalty so the Bucs pivoted and Chase McLaughlin came on to drill a 52-yard field goal.

After another touchback, a Logan Hall offsides penalty gifted New Orleans five yards but an Edwards-Helaire run got just one and the Saints then false-started. After an incompletion, Rattler fit a hard pass through traffic down the middle to Johnson at the Saints' 46. Valdes-Scantling made a nice reaching between defenders for 14 more. A run for one yard and an ineligible-man-downfield penalty put the Saints in a long second down but Rattler was able to scramble for 11 and a holding call on David was tacked on the end for a first down. Three plays later, on third-and-three to start the second quarter Rattler threw to the end zone and Marquez Valdes-Scantling had the ball in his hands only to have McCollum strip it out in the nick of time. Grupe doubled the Saints' score with a 39-yard field goal.

A play-action rollout to the right was well covered and Mayfield had to throw the ball away, but a quick curl by Evans was good for six. A pass in Evans' direction on third down was incomplete and the Bucs punted, giving it back to the Saints at their own 21.

Rattler started the ensuing drive with an impressive pass to Johnson over McCollum's outstretched arm for a gain of 26. Russell dropped Jamaal Williams for a loss of two after the line had strung him out to the sideline, helping lead to a third-and-seven at midfield. The Saints picked up a blitz and Rattler eventually got the ball to TE Dallin Holker for six. The Saints went for it on fourth down and converted it easily with a rollout pass to Edwards-Helaire. On the next third down, the Saints needed three and ran the same play for two. The Saints went for it on fourth down again and Williams sliced over left guard for six yards to the Bucs' 15. McCollum blew up an attempted screen to WR Dante Pettis out to the right, but TE Foster Moreau got nine on a short pass and Williams added three for a first-and-goal at the three. Diaby dropped Williams for a loss of two but Rattler hit Pettis in the end zone on the next play to put the Saints up by 10.

Irving got the next drive moving with runs of six and 25 yards, but an attempted misdirection screen to the rookie back was diagnosed by S Will Harris and stopped for a loss of seven. After a Mayfield scramble got eight back, Mayfield waited for Evans to slide into the open between four defenders and found him for a gain of 14 to the Saints' 24. A holding call on WR Trey Palmer backed the offense up 10 yards, but Mayfield hit TE Payne Durham on an out that was good for 10. After the two-minute warning, another attempted screen to Irving was demolished by the Saints' defense but Mayfield went to Evans in a clutch moment once again, hitting him on an 11-yard slant. A tricky handoff to McMillan on an end-around got the ball down to the seven and made it second-and-four and the Saints used their second timeout with 1:11 left in the half. A fade attempt to Evans failed and Mayfield's outlet pass to Irving skipped on the turf. McLaughlin pulled the Bucs back to within one score with a 25-yard field goal.

Rattler threw three consecutive short outs to get the ball to the 44 with the clock stopped at 0:53. The Saints did use their last timeout after a pass to WR Kevin Austin took it down to the Bucs' 35 with 29 ticks left. Two more short passes brought it down to the 21 with the clock halted at 0:20. Rattler took a shot to Valdes-Scantling in the end zone but McCollum once again was in position to deny it. After one more incompletion the Saints sent Grupe out again and he was good from 39 to restore the visitor's 10-point lead.

Tucker ran the opening kickoff the second half out to the Bucs' 28. Mayfield was forced to scramble on the next snap, leading to a third-and-six. This time, Mayfield got free on his scramble and was able to dash all the way to the 42 for a first down. It was third-and-three just short of midfield after an incompletion and a seven-yard run to the left by Irving. Mayfield had to slide forward to buy time for a 11-yard pass to WR Sterling Shepard, who somehow held on despite taking a hit to the head that drew a 15-yard penalty. Now at the 25, the Bucs got another chunk of yards when DT Nathan Shepard grabbed Irving's facemask and twisted him down. The result was a first down at the Saints' 11, and Mayfield had a long time to survey the field on first down before firing a pass to Evans that rookie CB Kool-Aid McKinstry broke up at the last second. Irving ran it down to the five, and Mayfield once again had a long time in the pocket on third down, eventually locating Durham in the back of the end zone for the score.

Rattler started his second half by heaving a deep ball down the left sideline, but it was out of the reach of Valdes-Scantling. Edwards-Helaire took a toss to the right but ran into a brick wall wearing number 50. On third-and-nine, the Bucs chased Rattler out of the pocket and he eventually threw incomplete. The resulting punt was fair caught by Palmer at the Bucs' 25. Two Irving runs gained a combined six yards but a false start gave five back, and then disaster struck. DE Carl Granderson tipped Mayfield's attempted pass to Evans, leading to a wobbler that S Jordan Howden intercepted at the Bucs' 37 at the midway point of the third quarter.

Edwards-Helaire was able to find the corner on a toss to the left and got seven yards on first down. A run up the middle by Williams lost a yard, and McCollum broke up a pass over the middle intended for Wilson. Grupe's fourth field goal, a 49-yarder, put the Saints up by six with six minutes left in the period.

A pop pass to McMillan in motion was a bad start to the ensuing drive as Cameron Jordan dragged him down for a loss of six. Mayfield got nine back no a curl to Evans but the two just failed to hook up on an out-and-up on third down. It got worse when P Jack Browning dropped the snap on fourth down and was only able to get off an emergency 14-yard punt to the Bucs' 47.

Moreau threw the ball at McCollum after a six-yard catch, earning a 15-yard penalty that moved it back to the Saints' 44. Diaby then led the backfield charge and sacked Rattler for a loss of four on second down, and the Saints elected to run on third-and-23 and then punt it back. The kick rolled out of bounds at the Bucs' 18.

An Irving run for five and a holding call on G Ben Bredeson made it second-and-15, followed by a false start by Shepard. After a Mayfield scramble got 14 back, the Bucs faced an important third-and-six and Culp converted it with a great snatch away from his body of a hard pass for 20 yards to the Bucs' 42. After the teams switched sides to start the fourth quarter, Durham committed a false start. A toss-sweep left by Tucker only gained two but Evans made a remarkable 10-yard catch from his knees to make it third-and-three and Mayfield took a big hit on a scramble to get past the sticks. Mayfield slipped out of a potential sack to run again for six yards. An Irving run left the Bucs in third-and-one but an attempted keeper by Mayfield fell apart for a loss of seven. On fourth-and-eight at the Saints' 42, the Bucs called a timeout and then went for it at the 10:49 mark. Mayfield threw deep to McMillan who hauled in a 33-yard pass to keep the drive alive. Unfortunately, the rookie wideout was then flagged for taunting after making a first-down signal, which resulted in it being first-and-10 at the 24. Another holding call followed, this one on Luke Goedeke on a two-yard Irving run, moved the ball back to the 32. Mayfield decided to get it all back, throwing to McMillan, who made a remarkable toe-tapping touchdown catch at the very right edge of the end zone. McLaughlin's extra point gave the Bucs their first lead of the game.

Two plays into the ensuing drive, McCollum nearly intercepted a pass to the sideline but it got past him and into the hands of Valdez-Scantling, who then turned it upfield for a gain of 20. After an incompletion, Rattler was dropped for an eight-yard sack by Vea, making it third-and-18. A delay of game penalty made it even tougher on the Saints, and Rattler's throw under pressure was incomplete deep. The Saints punted and a holding call during the return moved the Bucs all the way back to their own five-yard line at the midway point of the fourth quarter.

A four-yard run by Irving bought some room but his second carry gave three back. On third-and-nine, Mayfield zipped a hard pass to Evans who fought for just enough to move the sticks. LB Nephi Sewell's sack of Mayfield and an Irving run that only gained one put the Bucs in a deep hole but Mayfield dug them out with a 27-yard scramble. A holding call on Ko Kieft pushed the offense back again, followed by a nine-yard pass to Evans. An unnecessary roughness call on the Saints on the next snap gave the Bucs a new set of downs at the Saints' 45. Tucker found the left edge for a gain of 14 and was pushed out of bounds with 2:26 left. A 12-yard strike to Evans got it to the Saints' 19. Irving dashed up the middle for eight to bring on the two-minute warning. On the next play, Mayfield scrambled around before improvising a pitch to Irving, who darted to the front corner of the end zone to give the Bucs an eight-point lead with 1:51 to go.

After a touchback, Rattler threw an 11-yard pass to Moreau, another 11-yarder to Johnson and then yet another 11-yard strike to Wilson. With the ball at the Bucs' 37, the Saints used their second timeout with 59 seconds left. Rattler was hurried into a throwaway on the next snap, and his next pass was incomplete. On third-and-10, Rattler threw another incompletion but the Bucs were flagged for being offside. It was fourth down when he was chased into another incompletion, and Rattler's sideline pass to Wilson was just a bit too tall.

The Buccaneers thus took over on downs with 36 seconds left and the game in hand, but they had one last bit of unfinished business to take care of. Rather than kneel, Mayfield dropped back to pass and Evans ran a simple in-and-out route designed to get him open without any fear of a turnover. It worked, as Evans caught the ball and surged upfield for a gain of nine to surpass 1,000 receiving yards just as he has done in every season of his career. That's also all it took to run out the clock.