The Buccaneers needed an unlikely hero to emerge in order to close out Sunday’s game against the Panthers and clinch the NFC South. That individual proved to be rookie punter Jake Camarda, who helped seal the win with a tremendous effort on a nearly disastrous special teams sequence by Tampa.
Leading 30–24 with 42 seconds remaining, the Bucs botched the snap in punt formation, forcing Camarda to do some improvising. He quickly scooped up the loose football and rolled out to his left while numerous Panthers chased after him.
As he approached the sideline, Camarda then did the unthinkable and punted the ball while running at a full sprint. The ball ended up taking a favorable bounce for the Bucs and trickled down to the Carolina two-yard line, where it was downed by a Tampa player.
