The Buccaneers may have had their season decided by a play that techincally didn’t happen.
Up by six and facing a fourth-and-10 from the Panthers’ 44-yard line with 42 seconds remaining, punter Jake Camarda fielded a snap that landed in the dirt about a yard in front of him. After a frantic scramble to get outside, Camarda kicked the ball in desperation. It landed inside the 5-yard line, but the play was redone because the Buccaneers had an illegal man downfield.
On the ensuing punt, Camarda put the ball on Carolina’s 8-yard line, and the Panthers didn’t have enough time to get anything going before the Buccaneers won 30-24.
MORE: NFC South standings: Buccaneers clinch division
An underappreciated part, of course, is that Camarda’s run and punt also took about 10 seconds off the clock.
WOW
Bucs punter Jake Camarda may have just saved Tampa Bay’s season with this punt!
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/SV36SzcM1z
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 1, 2023
Although it’s definitely overstating it to say it “saved the season” for the Buccaneers, the 23-year-old rookie’s punt was definitely a huge difference-maker and saved Tampa Bay nearly 40 yards in field position.
After the game, Todd Bowles made his excitement about Punter Play known.
“I’ve never seen a punter make an athletic play like that,” the Bucs head coach said after the game. “No I really haven’t.”
“I’ve never seen a punter make an athletic play like that” – Coach Bowles on that wild and crazy play by Jake Camarda in the 4th quarter #GoBucs #CARvsTB @953WDAE @JayAndZWDAE pic.twitter.com/bJo88c77jK
— Jay Recher (@jayRecher) January 1, 2023
With no timeouts and under a minute left, anything inside the 20 was going to be a tall order for the Panthers offense. It was a remarkably heads-up play from a rookie punter, and it more or less slammed the door shut on Carolina.
