6 winners (and 2 big losers) from Buccaneers OT win over Panthers in Week 13

It wasn't easy, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got out of Charlotte with a much-needed win on Sunday. Overtime was needed to determine a winner, but the Bucs' victory means they're just a game away from taking back first place in the NFC South.

Atlanta's loss to the Chargers earlier on Sunday helped close the gap that Tampa Bay widened over its four game losing streak in November. There's still work to be done, but the Bucs are right back in the playoff race either as a division winner or Wild Card team thanks to how things went in Week 13.

Tampa Bay is just a game behind the Washington Commanders for the No. 7 seed, and owning the head-to-head tiebreaker could come in handy. Ideally the Bucs won't need it because they'll punch a playoff ticket as NFC South champions, but that's easier said than done.

If that's going to happen, though, the guys who stepped up for them on Sunday will need to continue doing so while the players who let the team down will need to spend next week shoring things up.

Biggest winners and losers from Buccaneers OT win over Panthers in Week 13

Winner: Bucky Irving, RB

Each week it seems Bucky Irving gives Bucs fans another reason to swoon about him being in the backfield, and Sunday was his best performance yet. The rookie rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown while adding 33 receiving yards to boot. Anytime the offense is in need of a boost, Bucky isn't far behind, providing exactly that with some sort of highlight reel run.

Irving has been a revelation this season and would potentially be in the lead for Rookie of the Year if Jayden Daniels wasn't having the year he is up in Washington. The gap between the two isn't as wide as it may seem, though, which says a lot about how much of an impact Irving has had in just 12 games as a pro.

If there's one thing he shouldn't do, though, it's return kicks. He injured himself right before halftime and was seen with a wrap around his hip after the game. That didn't stop him from exploding in the second half to help power the Bucs to a win they badly needed.

Loser: Baker Mayfield, QB

For most of Sunday's game Baker Mayfield was the worst version of himself. Everything went wrong, from his two back-breaking interceptions that directly led to points for Carolina to an injury scare in the third quarter.

Baker appeared to get stepped on by Jadeveon Clowney, something that caused him to leave the game and miss a few plays on the next series. He returned and promptly threw a brutal interception, which is not the first time he's made a boneheaded throw this year.

His first pick was worse, as it was reminiscent of the one he had back in the loss to Baltimore. Baker held the ball too long, pump faked, scrambled, pump faked and then threw the most obvious interception he could have.

It's a gunslinger mentality that Baker needs to work on getting out of his system before it truly costs the Bucs.

Winner: Baker Mayfield, QB

That's right, for as bad as Baker looked for most of the game the Buccaneers don't win without him. It's a strange spot to be in as fans have watched the first version of Baker in quarterbacks before but the second half of his performance is what has always been missing.

While he contributed to putting Tampa Bay behind the sticks, Baker orchestrating the comeback drive to tie the game and then to win it in overtime is why the team brought him back. It's the next evolution of the Baker Mayfield Experience, as he's added a new wrinkle to the cycle that Browns and Panthers fans love to point out anytime something goes awry.

Things could not have gone worse for the Bucs and Mayfield for most of the game on Sunday but the quarterback he was in two of the team's final three drives is the franchise player Tampa Bay expects him to be. Most other quarterbacks the Bucs have had probably lose in that situation, but not Baker.

Winner: Anthony Nelson and Yaya Diaby

The Buccaneers pass rush has left a lot to be desired this season and things were looking even tougher ahead of Sunday with news that Joe Tryon-Shoyinka would be out. That didn't stop Anthony Nelson from stepping up in the biggest spot of the game to help secure a win.

In overtime, Nelson forced a Chuba Hubbard fumble that halted what felt like game-winning momentum building for Carolina. That turnover led to the Bucs marching down the field and winning the game a few plays later, with none of it being possible without Nelson's big play.

Not for nothing, but Yaya Diaby was the one who pounced on the loose ball to cap his impressive day. He finished with six total tackles -- 12 combined with Nelson -- and continues to look like a bright spot at linebacker for the Bucs moving forward.

Loser: Trenton Gil, P

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers owe Jake Camarda an apology, because the brief honeymoon with Trenton Gil is very much over. Gil was atrocious on Sunday, averaging less than 50 yards a punt while shanking more than a few that put the defense in a bad spot defending a short field.

He polished his day off by committing a penalty on a kickoff following a go-ahead field goal late in the game that started Carolina's drive at its own 40-yard line. The Panthers promptly scored which forced the Bucs to orchestrate a game-tying drive rather than being able to close the game out.

Gil replaced Camarda, who was struggling, but it's hard to think the latter would have been worse based on how bad the former was on Sunday.

Winner: Chase McLaughlin

On the flip side of the kicking game, Chase McLaughlin delivered exactly the way Tampa Bay expected him to when they re-signed him over the offseason. He was initially brought in to help make up for long-distance kicking that was missing with Ryan Succop, and his leg came through when it was needed most.

McLaughlin nailed a 51-yard field goal to send the game to overtime, but that was his thid make of the day. Points were at a premium for most of the way, so having the reliable lef of McLaughlin helped make the difference in a game the Bucs needed to win.

Winner: Mike Evans, WR

Lost in the chaos and excitement of how the game ended is another fantastic performance from Mike Evans. He scored an insane one-handed touchdown in the first quarter but was a big target for Baker Mayfield in both the game-tying and game-winning drives in the fourth quarter and overtime.

More importantly, he finished the game with 118 yards, which goes a long way toward helping him eat into the yardage he needs to keep his 1,000-yard season streak alive. Missing three games set him back, but after Sunday, he needs just 479 more yards to reach that total, which means averaging around 95 yards per game the rest of the way.

Evans helped his own cause but he reminded everyone just how important he is to the offense by being so instrumental in helping the Bucs when they needed him most.

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