The Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched the NFC South with an exhilarating 30-24 comeback win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 17. En route to the team’s second-straight division crown on New Year’s Day, Tom Brady connected with Mike Evans on three touchdowns and Anthony Nelson had a crucial strip sack in the fourth quarter that spurred the club to a playoff berth. The Bucs improved to 8-8 after punching their ticket to the postseason, making next week’s final game of the 2022 gauntlet in Atlanta virtually meaningless.
Offensive Evolution
Coming into the Week 17 matchup, a deficiency in the Bucs’ offense had been explosive plays downfield (25th in the league). Tampa Bay had one touchdown play of 20-plus yards all season long and against the Panthers, the deep ball returned. Tom Brady was masterful from the pocket, with Mike Evans serving as the beneficiary. Brady had his best performance of the year, completing 34 of 45 passes for 432 yards, three touchdowns through the air and one on the ground for a passer rating of 127.3. On the aforementioned quarterback sneak, “Brady” chants erupted inside Raymond James Stadium by an enthusiastic crowd. Evans became the offensive catalyst, taking advantage of single coverage on the outside vs. the Panthers’ use of Cover 1. He finished the game with 10 catches for 207 yards and three touchdowns – a franchise record. In the process, Evans surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the year, extending his streak of consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards to nine – becoming the first NFL player to begin his career with such a streak and joining only two Hall of Famers to have accomplished the feat in their respective careers: Jerry Rice and Tim Brown.
After missing Evans early downfield on the first drive, Brady made a concerted effort to get Evans the ball regardless. The ensuing result was one of the greatest games by a receiver in league history. Whether Evans getting vertical down the right sideline or Chris Godwin and Russell Gage Jr. taking advantage of cushion in zones as the Panthers’ defensive backs left too much space/did not challenge at the line of scrimmage, Brady exploited. The Bucs had missed opportunities to start the game that squandered the chance for a lead, but once again, the team rallied. The offensive line provided Brady the allotted time to step up in the pocket and the Panthers had no answers for No. 13.
Just before the two-minute warning in the second quarter, Brady lobbed a deep pass down the…
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