The crowd went crazy.
Tampa Bay linebacker Joe Tryon-Soyinka then blocked the punt before linebacker J.J. Russell scooped that bad boy up and ran it into the endzone to put the Bucs up 40-14 in a must-win game.
The crowd went crazier. “Duc-ky” crowds broke out. It was a jolly time at Raymond James Stadium.
The final score ended up being 48-14 in the Bucs victory at home over the Panthers as Tampa Bay continued its quest to defend the NFC South title.Not only was Tampa Bay able to steamroll the Panthers on the way to securing another winning season in the Todd Bowles era, there were some fun individual accolades to be had as well.
Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield broke his single-season passing yards record for a second consecutive year early in the first half.
Bucky (or should it now be Ducky?) Irving cracked 1,000 yards rushing to put a bow on what’s been one of the best stories in football, as he became the first Buc to hit that mark since 2015 and the first rookie to do so since 2012. By the way, for those keeping track, Irving was passed over 124 times before being selected by the Bucs in the fourth round of this past year’s draft.
And future Hall Of Famer Mike Evans put himself back in the 1,000 receiving yard conversation as he tries to continue his streak. The veteran needs 85 yards in the Bucs’ final game of the season to hit the milestone for what feels like the 100th time in his career.
So it was a fun time for all; even the Bucs defense managed to put together a solid performance, only allowing a pair of touchdowns in the non-garbage-time portion of the game, bouncing back after a slightly embarrassing performance against the Cooper Rush-led Cowboys last week.The Bucs head into the new year with the division is very much within grasp. With the Falcons’ Sunday night loss in the nation’s capital, Tampa Bay once again controls its divisional destiny, and can secure its fourth-straight NFC South title by taking care of business on Sunday, Jan. 5 against the lowly New Orleans Saints (who lost to the now-4-12 Raiders Sunday afternoon as rookie QB Spencer Rattler continues to struggle in the place of injured Derek Carr).
Next weekend’s game takes place at Raymond James Stadium, giving the Bucs a chance to win the division in front of what will be another excited home crowd hoping for a reason to cheer like they did for that awesome duck. The matchup will also be a chance for Tampa Bay to exorcise the demon of New Orleans spoiler 23-13 victory over the Bucs on New Year’s Eve last year.
Fire those cannons, the Bucs were dang-near perfect Sunday.
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This article appears in Dec 26, 2024 – Jan 1, 2025.