The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will head into a Week 18 matchup at home against the New Orleans Saints with control over their own fate in their quest to secure a fourth straight NFC South division title.
The Buccaneers moved into first place in the division with their dominant 48-14 win over the Carolina Panthers followed by the Atlanta Falcons' 30-24 overtime loss at Washington on Sunday night. The 9-7 Buccaneers have a one-game lead over the 8-8 Falcons with one week to play, and need to maintain that edge because Atlanta has the tiebreaker due to a head-to-head season sweep.
The Buccaneers will play host to the Saints on Sunday, January 5 at Raymond James Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX. The Falcons will play at the same time at home against the Panthers, with the game broadcast by CBS.
In the late-season division title quest, the Buccaneers struck the first blow in Week 17 with a 551-yard offensive performance against Carolina in which the the team scored on seven of its nine possessions. Baker Mayfield threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns and both Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan found the end zone twice. Rookie running back Bucky Irving eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark on an afternoon on which he racked up a season-best 190 yards from scrimmage. The Buccaneers' defense sacked Panthers quarterback Bryce Young five times and held the visitors to 204 total yards.
Atlanta's Sunday night performance in Washington was a thriller, with rookie quarterback Michael Penix throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Michael Penix on fourth-and-goal to tie the game with a minute left in regulation. Fortunately for the Buccaneers, the Commanders won the overtime coin flip and took the opening possession 70 yards for a game-winning touchdown, ending in Jayden Daniels' two-yard scoring pass to Zach Ertz.
