Monday, 4 a.m.
The season may or may not conclude in the playoffs as the Tampa Bay Bucs wish.
Still, you have to admit that Sunday was the start of strong closing argument.
The Bucs overwhelmed the Carolina Panthers, 48-14, to keep their post-season arguments alive. They erupted for 551 yards and outscored the Panthers 21-0 in the second half.
Content beyond this point is for members only.
Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo). Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.
Just as good, the Bucs took back control of the NFC South when Washington beat Atlanta 30-24 in overtime. If the Bucs beat New Orleans at home next week, they win the South. Simple as that.
It was an offensive highlight show for the Bucs:
— Rookie running back Bucky Irving rushed for 113 yards and caught four passes for 77 more yards. He now has 1,033 yards on the season.
— Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns. He had a rating of 153.0 Mayfield has eight games this year with a rating of 100 or more, but none higher than Sunday’s game.
— Receiver Mike Evans caught eight passes for 97 yards. He now needs 85 yards in his final game to finish with 1,000 yards for the 11th straight season.
— Rookie receiver Jalen McMillan caught five passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns. McMillan has six touchdown receptions in the last four games.
-- Young tight ends Devin Culp and Payne Durham, filling in for injured Cade Otton, combined for 88 yards on five catches.
In all, the Bucs rolled up more than 30 points for the eighth time this year. The Bucs could have had more, but in the fourth quarter, Mayfield threw only twice. Neither Irving nor Evans touched the ball as the Bucs chose to work the clock and save their weapons for next Sunday’s finale against New Orleans at home.
The Bucs also scored when Joe Tryon-Shoyinka blocked a punt, which was run in from the 23 by linebacker J.J. Russell.
Perhaps the only frustration for the Bucs was their pass defense in the first half. They simply couldn’t locate receiver Adam Thielen, who caught touchdown passes of 17 and 40 yards. The latter came with 50 seconds left when the Bucs should have been cognizant of the deep pass but weren’t.
It was a nice comeback after losing a 26-24 game to a weak Dallas team last week. But that’s been the story of these Bucs. They’ve beaten Detroit, Washington, Philadelphia and San Diego. They’ve lost to the Cowboys, Atlanta (twice) and Denver.
Last week, the loss to Dallas was noteworthy because of the lack of use of Irving (two carries) and Evans (one catch) in the fourth period.
This time, Irving started. He carried the ball 20 times and caught four passes.
“We thought we’d get him off to a fast start and let him go,” Bucs’ coach Todd Bowles said. “He’s been playing great, as he’s gotten the offensive system down. The plays speak for themselves. “Rachaad (White) is a very good back. Bucky was playing better.”
Bowles also had praise for Mayfield:
“He really played a heck of a ballgame, intelligently” Bowles said. “We didn’t turn it over offensively. We were very good on third downs and he controlled the ball. “
Said Mayfield: “It starts with the guys up front, I thought they protected extremely well. Everyone was detailed. Obviously, we’d like to have a few more touchdowns in the first half rather than settling for field goals.”
The Bucs close out their regular season at home against the Saints on Sunday.