4 unexpected winners (and 4 big losers) from Buccaneers' loss to Panthers in Week 16

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were dealt yet another crushing loss on Sunday at the hands of the Carolina Panthers, their sixth in seven games. Now, the Bucs will have to win out to earn another NFC South title and punch their ticket to the playoffs.

There's no way to sugarcoat it, Tampa Bay's season is officially on life support. Even tough the team can still make the playoffs, the vibes are all out of whack and there's a strong contingency of the fan base that would rather pack in the season now than prolong what many believe is inevitable.

It was the most important game of the year for Tampa Bay with everything on the line, and some players rose to the occasion while others let the team down with poor performances. 

Winners and losers from Buccaneers’ demoralizing Week 16 loss to Panthers

Winner: Kam Johnson

Johnson had an impressive game as a kick returner, setting the offense up with strong field position multiple times. 

Per Buccaneers Communications, he was the first Tampa Bay player to record two kick returns of 35+ yards in the same game since 2013.

Winner: Jacob Parrish 

Despite the loss, Parrish turned in a strong performance. He had two passes broken up in the end zone, including one in coverage against Tetairoa McMillan, who is about 7 inches taller and 15 pounds heavier. 

Parrish plays aggressive and fearless, and he was impressive both in coverage and as a tackler. He allowed just 33 yards on five targets, and looks to be blossoming into a future cornerstone for this defense.

Loser: Todd Bowles

Bowles had a few frustrating moments on Sunday that won’t help his case as he finds himself firmly on the hot seat.

With only 12 seconds remaining in the first half, Bowles called a zero blitz and left Jamel Dean in single coverage against Tetaroia McMillan, resulting in a momentum-swinging touchdown. With such little time left, it was clear that Carolina would take a shot for the end zone, and sending the house instead of playing conservative to force a field goal made no sense. 

The call was reminiscent of when Bowles inexplicably called an all-out blitz against the Rams in the final second of the 2021 playoffs, leaving Cooper Kupp in single coverage to set up a game-winning field goal. (Sorry for the reminder, Bucs fans.)

Going into halftime losing 13-10, Bowles seemed content that Tampa Bay was winning the time of possession battle, and asserted that if they continued to control the clock, the score would ultimately reflect that.

Bowles was wrong, as the Bucs dominated the TOP with 34 minutes compared to Carolina’s 25, and still left with a crushing loss.

Loser: Josh Grizzard

Grizzard’s gameplan was stale and predictable. He ran the ball on about 80% of first-down plays, and the whole world knew what was coming. 

Despite having his top four receivers in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and Jalen McMillan all available for just the second time this season, Grizzard opted not to utilize his pass catchers and instead continue to chip away in the run game. 

Grizzard’s disappointing season stings even worse when watching Liam Coen, who coached one of the best offensive units in Bucs history a season ago,  lead his Jaguars to an 11-4 record with an offense that is better than Tampa Bay’s in just about every single category. 

Winner: Chase McLaughlin

McLaughlin was perfect on extra points and also went 2-for-2 on his field goal tries, including another make from beyond 50 yards. 

He is the first kicker in NFL history to make 11 consecutive field goals from 50+ yards without a miss, and continues to be the best, most reliable player in Tampa Bay this season.

Winner: SirVocea Dennis

Dennis has drawn a lot of criticism for his play this season, but on Sunday he flashed some of the upside that has those within the organization so high on him.

Dennis finished with 8 total tackles, a sack, and 2 quarterback hits. More performances like that will go a long way in him maintaining a role on this team beyond this season. 

Loser: Luke Goedeke 

Goedeke has been mostly great this season, but Sunday was his worst performance in a long time. He committed 4 penalties — 2 false starts, an illegal man downfield, and a holding penalty.

The Bucs aren’t good enough to overcome mental errors from someone they’re counting on to be one of their best and reliable players. This isn’t the norm for Goedeke, and he’ll bounce back next week. 

Loser: John Bullock

Bullock snuck into the roster as an undrafted free agent specifically as a special teams contributor. For a player whose status on an NFL roster is so fragile, you’d expect him to be smarter and not draw any negative attention to himself in the team’s most important game of the year. 

After Carolina kicked off to Tampa Bay with just over 2:00 remaining in the fourth quarter, Bullock head butted a Panthers player and drew a personal foul that set the offense back 10 yards. 

The Bucs needed just a field goal to tie the game with their season on the line, and Bullock’s selfish, immature decision could cost him his roster spot. If Bruce Arians were still the head coach, Bullock would’ve been cut and finding his own ride back home after the game.