The Panthers could clinch the NFC South with a win over the Saints in New Orleans on Sunday and by beating the Bucs in Charlotte on Dec. 21. On the other hand, the Bucs could maintain their dominance in the division by beating the Panthers twice in the next three weeks.

The loss means that if the Panthers beat the Saints and then the Bucs either the following week or in the final game of the 2025 season, then the Panthers will be division champs. Because of that, and after a quick glance at the NFC South standings, the Panthers are leading the race, clearly.

Zane Gonzalez ’s 43-yard FG gave the Falcons a 29-28 walkoff win at Raymond James Stadium, on the back of Kyle Pitts’ special night — taking three TD catches from Kirk Cousins to keep the Bucs in their sights throughout.

Bucaneers fans who aren't sick of watching football as a result of Thursday night's collapse will be interested in what happens in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome this Sunday.

The Falcons could not get out of their own way for most of Thursday night, but they somehow pulled out a 29-28 upset of the Bucs on the final play. Zane Gonzalez's 43-yard field goal was a dagger to the Bucs' playoff hopes.

Having lost five of their last six games to fall out of first place in the NFC South, frustration is mounting for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After a gut-wrenching 29-28 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the Bucs have now lost five of their last six games and have lost their NFC South lead along with it. In today’s Bucs Bonus, Jeff Dubrof and Garrett Phillips discuss what went wrong for the Bucs on Thursday night and what must be done to right the ship before it is too late.

The Bucs talk about having a 24-hour rule, the idea being that you don't celebrate a win or dwell on a loss for more than a day before you move on and focus on the next game. A Thursday loss means the Bucs have three extra days before they play again and can get rid of the bitter taste of defeat.

The Bucs hurt themselves on Pitts’ first touchdown. They had the Falcons stopped on third down and settling for a 31-yard Zane Gonzalez field goal, but Bucs cornerback Zyon McCollum was penalized for being offsides. The 5-yard penalty on fourth-and-4 allowed the Falcons to take the points off the board. On the next play, Pitts scored.

Todd Bowles’ message after watching the Bucs blow a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead to lose to the Falcons offered more frustration on Friday but less fury. Despite losing back-to-back games to division bottom-feeders New Orleans and Atlanta,