The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7) beat the Carolina Panthers (1-11) 21-18 Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
Rachaad White and the Buccaneers got on the scoreboard first as the second-year running back punched it in from a yard out, giving the Bucs a 7-0 lead over the Panthers with 6:08 left in the first quarter.
Carolina responded with points of their own as Eddy Pineiro notched a 23-yard field goal with 13:30 left in the second quarter of play. The Buccaneer offense coughed up the football just ahead of the two-minute warning as Baker Mayfield threw an interception to Xavier Woods.
Whether it was raining or not, both offenses struggled mightily at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday until the Panthers got the ground game going with Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard gave the Panthers their first lead of the game with a one-yard touchdown run with just over five minutes left in the third quarter. The Panthers led 10-7. Mike Evans answered back on a 74-yard TD catch, regaining the lead, 14-10 over Carolina with 4:54 left in the third.
Tampa Bay was able to extend their lead, 21-10, with 11:36 left in regulation courtesy of Chris Godwin's 19-yard touchdown run. Chuba Hubbard and the Panthers cut right into the Buccaneer lead with a one-yard Chuba Hubbard touchdown run with 5:02 left in regulation. The two-point try was successful, and Carolina trailed Tampa Bay 21-18 with 5:02 left in play. The Bucs won 21-18
The Buccaneers now prepare to face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, December 10th, in Atlanta, Georgia. Kickoff time is 1 PM ET- you can hear the game on 97.9 WXTB-FM - The Mighty 98 Rock.
PHOTO COURTESY: GETTY IMAGES