Authored by Clark Gerber, a contributor for WRAL Sports.

Charlotte, N.C.

The regular season finale saw the Carolina Panthers suffer a disappointing 9-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay has secured a spot in the playoffs for the third consecutive year by clinching the NFC South. On the other hand, Carolina will have to regroup after a disappointing 2-15 season.

Two specific plays exemplified the game and the entire Panthers season.

In the second quarter, quarterback Bryce Young scrambled to his left and connected with DJ Chark for what appeared to be a certain touchdown. This was the first scoring play of the game.

But just before Chark could reach the goal line, Antoine Winfield Jr. caught up to him and caused a fumble. The Buccaneers were able to recover the ball in the end zone, resulting in a turnover for the Panthers instead of a touchdown.

In the last quarter, Carolina appeared to have scored once more as Raheem Blackshear found an opening and sprinted 28 yards to reach the end zone.

Unfortunately, the Panthers faced another setback as the play was invalidated due to an illegal formation penalty.

On the following play, Bryce Young was tackled and lost possession of the ball. Tampa Bay gained control and Carolina did not get another chance to handle the ball.

Interim head coach Chris Tabor expressed frustration, stating that the team made costly mistakes. He emphasized that these errors cannot occur and described the impact as extremely demoralizing since they were unable to score any points from them.

Young was sacked for the third time in the game, bringing his total number of sacks this season to 62. This ties him with Steve Beurlein (2000) for the most sacks taken in a single season in franchise history. It also ranks as the 5th most sacks in NFL history.

Bryce Young’s passing yards for the game were a season-low of 94, as he completed 11 out of 18 attempts.

The Panthers can celebrate a significant achievement thanks to their standout defensive tackle, Derrick Brown. As an alternate for the Pro Bowl, he ended the game with 7 tackles (including a sack), bringing his total for the season to 103.

Brown is the initial defensive player in documented NFL history to achieve 100 tackles in one season.

The personal achievement serves as a small comfort after enduring one of the most challenging seasons in Panthers’ history.

The team’s loss on Sunday equaled the record for the most defeats in a season (15).

This marks the third instance in the Panthers’ history where they will end the season with two or less victories. However, unlike previous times, they will not have the opportunity to receive the top draft pick.

Last April, Carolina traded away their first round pick to Chicago in order to acquire the opportunity to select Bryce Young.

Source: wralsportsfan.com