At worst, the Panthers were going to overtime Monday night against the Bucs.
Tied at 14 with 1:49 to go, Tampa Bay took over on its own 14-yard line. With two timeouts left, the Bucs could've gone into a two-minute drill, but playing it safe seemed like a smarter idea.
"That was a difficult situation because Carolina had all of their timeouts left and we were kind of backed up a little bit," Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said. "So I felt like we should go conservative."
Quarterback Jameis Winston, who had thrown an interception in seven straight games and nine of his past 10, was finally taking better care of the ball. But how long would that last?
And even if the Bucs got into field goal position, kicker Roberto Aguayo had to be a mess mentally. Two missed kicks, including one less than two minutes earlier, dropped him to 3-of-7 in his rookie year.
Then, one play changed the complexion of the drive and, perhaps, the rest of the Panthers' season.
Here's how it all unfolded:
Play 1: 1-10-TB 14 (1:49) Jacquizz Rodgers right guard to TB 14 for no gain
"I know a couple of guys were scratching their heads, like ‘They are running the football?'", Winston said. "But Coach Koetter is a genius."
Timeout: #1 by CAR at 01:46
Armed with all three of his timeouts, Panthers coach Ron Rivera began playing for a game-winning drive. That's if his offense got the ball back.
Play 2: 2-10-TB 14 (1:46) Rodgers right end to TB 17 for 3 yards
Linebacker Luke Kuechly dragged Rodgers out of bounds, saving the Panthers their second timeout. But as the play clock ran down, the Bucs had to use theirs.
Timeout: #2 by TB at 01:42
"We were going to try to run down the clock and get a first down, but then coach said forget it and go for it," Bucs receiver Mike Evans said. "Then Jameis threw a great ball to me, we converted the first down and then tried to go score."
Play 3: 3-7-TB 17 (1:42) Jameis Winston pass short right to Evans to TB 28 for 11 yards
The biggest play of the night.
Lined up in their jumbo package, the Bucs picked up a huge first down when Winston found Evans matched up one-on-one with cornerback Robert McClain.
"Unbelievable that there's one receiver in the game and you don't cover Mike Evans on an outside breaking route," ESPN analyst Jon Gruden said during the replay.
"That was the key to that whole drive, was getting that first down," Koetter said. "Then we went into our two-minute offense and Jameis did a really nice job of making good decisions."
Play 4: 1-10-TB 28 (1:19) Winston pass incomplete short right to Cameron Brate
Play 5: 2-10-TB 28 (1:15) Rodgers up the middle to TB 34 for 6 yards
Timeout: #2 by CAR at 01:09
Rivera still hoping his offense would get a chance.
Play 6: 3-4-TB 34 (1:09) Winston pass short right to Rodgers to TB 42 for 8 yards
Rodgers was short of the first-down marker, but he made a great cut to slip past linebacker Thomas Davis, who was limited all night with a sore hamstring.
"When we’re out there at the end of the game, we’ve got to get a stop and that’s what it comes down to," Kuechly said. "We’ve got to find a way to get off the field on third down whether it’s a sack, it’s a tackle, it’s an interception, it’s a fumble, something like that."
The Bucs were 0-for-4 on third down in the second half until they went 2-for-2 on the final drive.
Play 7: 1-10-TB 42 (:49) Winston pass short right to Vincent Jackson to CAR 44 for 14 yards
Another successful out route for the Bucs. This time it was a 12-year veteran getting open against rookie corner Zack Sanchez, who was called up from the practice squad on Friday.
Play 8: 1-10-CAR 44 (:46) Winston pass short right to Jackson to CAR 39 for 5 yards
Officials mistakenly ruled Jackson out of bounds, saving the Bucs their final timeout.
Play 9: 2-5-CAR 39 (:41) Rodgers left guard to CAR 32 for 7 yards
On his 29th carry of the night, Rodgers eclipsed 100 rushing yards for the first in his six-year career. With 101 yards, he became just the second opposing rusher to hit the century mark in the Panthers' past 28 games (Rashad Jennings, NYG, 107 on 12/20/15).
Play 10: 1-10-CAR 32 (:41) Rodgers up the middle to CAR 32 for no gain
Penalty: CAR Kony Ealy, Face Mask, 15 Yards, enforced at CAR 32 (no play)
It appeared Rodgers's helmet was twisted on the play, but Rivera didn't agree with the call.
"(Ealy) hit the guy's face mask, but he didn't grab it," Rivera said. "I don't get it."
Play 10: 1-10-CAR 17 (:17) Winston right tackle to CAR 20 for -3 yards
A run to the right hash mark to set up Aguayo's game-winning attempt.
Timeout: #3 by TB at 00:03
Timeout: #3 by CAR at 00:03
An attempt to ice the struggling rookie.
Play 12: 2-13-CAR 20 (:03) Aguayo 38-yard field goal is good
"Honestly, how the game was turning out, I was thinking this could come down to the game-winner," Aguayo said. "You can’t even paint a different storyline with how the game went."
Well, the Panthers could.
If they made a third down stop, they would have had a chance to get to 2-3. Instead, they're reeling at 1-4, and that storyline's far from last year's storybook.