TAMPA, Fla. - Jameis Winston threw for 202 yards and one touchdown Sunday, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers broke up Cam Newton's two-point conversion throw in the closing seconds to hold off the Carolina Panthers for a 17-16 victory Sunday and their first winning season in six years.
Winston threw a 10-yard pass to Mike Evans to snap a fourth-quarter tie and became the first player in NFL history to start his career with consecutive 4,000-yard seasons.
But the Bucs (9-7) were eliminated from playoff contention, not getting the help they needed in other games for their first berth since 2007.
Winston's franchise record-setting 28th TD pass put the Bucs ahead 17-10 with 3:10 remaining. Newton, however, moved the Panthers (6-10) right down the field, with help of a 47-yard pass to Kelvin Benjamin and two fourth-down passes to set up a 5-yard scoring pass to trim Carolina's deficit to one with 17 seconds left.