By STEVE REED, AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — When Baker Mayfield felt Jadeveon Clowney step on the back of his right ankle in the third quarter, he feared he’d torn his Achilles tendon.

For a brief moment, he worried his season was over.

Luckily for the Buccaneers, it turned out to be much less serious.

Mayfield returned to the game after missing just two plays and led four more scoring drives, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers 26-23 in overtime on a 30-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin on Sunday to move into a tie for first place in the NFC South.

“Honestly, it scared the daylights out of me,” Mayfield said. “I’ve seen some people pop their Achilles before and they say it feels like you get cleated in the back. Obviously not knowing what had happened, I thought that’s what I did. It was a little painful but I got taped up again and went back out there.”

Bucky Irving ran for a career-high 152 yards and a touchdown for the Bucs (6-6), who caught Atlanta atop the division.

Mayfield finished 21 of 33 for 235 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions to improve to 4-0 against the Panthers, who cut him in 2022. Mike Evans had five catches for 118 yards, including a one-handed grab on a 1-yard touchdown catch for Tampa Bay.

“Mike’s a grown man,” Mayfield said. “I don’t how he caught that ball. He’s proven time and time again for 11 years that he can do it.”

Bryce Young and the Panthers were moving into position for a game-winning score in overtime when Adam Thielen hauled in a one-handed grab to reach Tampa Bay territory. But Chuba Hubbard fumbled on the next play and Mayfield took over.

He connected with Evans for 21 yards, and Rashaad White broke free for a 38-yard run to reach the Carolina 10 and set up McLaughlin’s fourth field goal of the game.

“The football gods were kind to us,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. “The first half of the season, we wouldn’t have finished that one out. We did a heck of a job fighting back all game. It was a tough game. They played tough. We played tough. We made mistakes in the first half of the season and, this game, we pulled it out. We learned some mental toughness.”

The loss assured the Panthers (3-9) of their seventh straight losing season.

A dejected Hubbard sat on the Carolina bench for several minutes after the game while his teammates headed to the locker room.

“I hold myself to a high standard and we are trying to change things around here and that’s not helping with anything,” Hubbard said. “So I’ve got to be better and all I can do is just work. It happened and I have to grow from it.”

Young was 26 of 46 passing for 298 yards and led a 60-yard drive that concluded on a 25-yard scoring toss to Thielen with 30 seconds left in regulation to briefly give Carolina a 23-20 lead, leaving Bank of America Stadium shaking.

However, Young did not try to jump on the Hubbard’s fumble in overtime, a gaffe reminiscent of Cam Newton’s costly decision in Carolina’s Super Bowl 50 loss to the Denver Broncos.

“It was a reaction,” Young said without further explanation.

Panthers coach Dave Canales said he’s thrilled with Young’s progression, but lamented the team’s mistakes in its latest loss.

“We have to put together a full complement of quarters, a full four quarters to become the team that we want to become,” Canales said.

Carolina’s Eddy Pineiro entered the game as the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history before a disastrous second quarter in which he missed from 38 and 45 yards. The misses came after Pineiro tied a franchise record with his 41st straight made field goal at home.

The Buccaneers lost LB K.J. Britt (ankle) and S Mike Edwards (hamstring) to injuries in the first half, while Panthers TE Stephen Sullivan (knee) left in the second half.

Umpire Carl Paganelli was injured 45 seconds into the game and had to leave on a cart, leaving a six-man officiating crew.

Buccaneers: Host Las Vegas next Sunday.

Panthers: At Philadelphia next Sunday.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Source: wralsportsfan.com