Chase McLaughlin had a second chance in overtime and kicked a 30-yard field goal with 2:50 left in the session as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers escaped with a 26-23 victory against the host Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Charlotte.

McLaughlin forced overtime with a 51-yarder on the last play of regulation, but he missed from 55 yards on the first possession of overtime. The Panthers reached the Tampa Bay 30 on the ensuing possession but lost the ball on Chuba Hubbard’s fumble before Tampa Bay’s winning drive.

Carolina’s Bryce Young threw 25 yards to Adam Thielen for a go-ahead touchdown with 30 seconds left in regulation. That was enough time for the Buccaneers to drive for a tying field goal and force overtime.

Bucky Irving ran for 152 yards and a touchdown and Baker Mayfield threw for 235 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for the Buccaneers (6-6).

Young ran for a touchdown and threw for 298 yards on 26-for-46 passing, but first-year coach Dave Canales didn’t come away with a victory against the team he served as offensive coordinator for last season.

Carolina’s Eddy Pineiro made three field goals and had a couple of rare misses in the first meeting of the season between the NFC South teams.

The Panthers (3-9) produced a total of two first downs on their first four possessions of the second half until the late drive. Carolina drove 60 yards on nine plays, while twice converting on third downs, leading to Thielen’s touchdown.

Irving, who had 25 carries, reached the 90-yard mark on the ground for the first time this season.

The Buccaneers went ahead 17-16 on Irving’s 6-yard run and an extra point with 8:53 remaining in regulation, using 11 plays to move 69 yards. That gave Tampa Bay three scoring drives of more than 60 yards, while at the time the longest drive for points by the Panthers was at 49 yards.

Mayfield left for a couple of plays in the third quarter after his ankle or foot was stepped on.

Following Tampa Bay’s go-ahead drive, Irving had the big play on the Buccaneers’ next possession with a 43-yard run to the Carolina 11. But a third-and-1 play from the 2 was botched and the Buccaneers settled for McLaughlin’s 26-yard field goal and a 20-16 lead with 3:05 left.

Tampa Bay began the scoring on Mayfield’s 2-yard pass to Mike Evans in the first quarter.

The Panthers took their first lead, with Young running for a 10-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter. McLaughlin kicked a 27-yard field goal.

But Carolina put together a drive that resulted in Pineiro’s 27-yard field goal with 5 seconds left in the half for a 13-10 lead. His 22-yarder in the final minute of the third quarter stretched the margin to 16-10. The score followed an interception and 33-yard return by Xavier Woods gave the Panthers the ball at the Tampa Bay 20.

With his first attempt of the game, Pineiro tied the franchise record with 41 consecutive successful field goals in home games. That streak ended when he hooked a 38-yarder in the second quarter. He missed two in a row when he was off the mark from 45 yards later in the quarter.

–Field Level Media

The connections are clear between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers, longtime NFC South rivals.

The teams get together for a meeting on Sunday in Charlotte and showed recent signs they can play with any team.

“It’s an NFC South battle,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said. “All of them are going to be hard, none of them (are) going to be easy. … They’re playing pretty good football. They missed some games here and there, but they’re playing very good football. It’s going to be a tough battle.”

Few introductions are needed on Sunday, as first-year Panthers coach Dave Canales came to Carolina after serving as Buccaneers offensive coordinator a season ago. Canales’ prized pupil last season, Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield was with the Panthers for part of the 2022 campaign.

“There’s some familiarity,” Canales said of his connection to the Buccaneers. “Knowing coach Bowles, he’s got a really sophisticated system and he attacks each team with a specific game plan. There’s some principles that carry over. I know that he’s going to have some things up his sleeve.”

The Buccaneers (5-6) playing a division opponent for the first time since an Oct. 27 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The goal will be notching back-to-back wins for the first time since the first two weeks of the season.

Four different ball-carriers, including Mayfield, found the end zone on the ground during a 30-7 drubbing of the New York Giants last Sunday. Mayfield also completed 24 of 30 passes for 294 yards.

“For me, the biggest thing was blocking and tackling,” Bowles said of what his team did well last weekend. “We cleaned up the fundamental and technique part of it.”

Star wideout Mike Evans was back in action for Tampa Bay following a three-game absence due to a hamstring injury. He finished with five receptions for 68 yards against the Giants and now gets a crack at a Carolina team allowing a league-high 30.9 points per game this season.

However, the Panthers have tightened up their play as of late, winning two games in a row before hanging with the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in a 30-27 setback last Sunday.

The outing against Kansas City may have been the most efficient performance of Panthers quarterback Bryce Young’s two-year career. Young completed 21 of 35 passes for 263 yards and one score without throwing a pick.

“It’s not all Bryce, it’s the whole unit,” Canales said. “It’s a collective effort, but he certainly needs to be the voice and driver of that.”

Wide receiver Jalen Coker (quadriceps), tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders (neck) and safety Lonnie Johnson (personal) were all missing from practice on Wednesday for Carolina. Defensive end LaBryan Ray is dealing with a hand issue and was among those limited.

Safety Jordan Whitehead (pectoral) was one of four Buccaneers to miss practice on Wednesday. Evans practiced in full.

Carolina and Tampa Bay might as well get used to each other, as the two teams will collide again in Week 17.

–Field Level Media