TAMPA, Fla. — The progress they made this year won't soothe their feelings tonight.

And leaving their fate in another team's hands won't either.

The Panthers lost a chance to secure their first division title since 2015, falling 16-14 to the Buccaneers Saturday at Raymond James Stadium.

The game turned on a turnover in the fourth quarter, when a promising drive ended in bizarre fashion, with Rico Dowdle slipping, and flicking the ball back to Bryce Young flea-style. Young couldn't handle it, and the Bucs recovered to burn valuable time.

The Panthers got the ball back and made it NFC South-interesting, with Bryce hitting Tetairoa McMillan for a 40-yard gain on fourth-and-8 (which gave him the franchise's rookie receiving record), which set up Jalen Coker's touchdown to make it close.

But that came too late, amid a second half of frustration. The Panthers were 1-of-8 on third-conversions, to Tampa's 8-of-15, and that was a lot of the difference.

The third quarter included a number of calls the Panthers considered suspect.

From a Young incompletion that was ruled a backward pass and a loss of 7 yards to stall a drive, to an offensive pass interference call on McMillan that negated a 31-yard gain, to a pass interference on Nick Scott when it appeared Bucs tight end Cade Otton simply fell down, there were several calls that left them shaking their heads.

Now, they wait.

Division title to be decided in Atlanta

The Panthers missed an opportunity to take care of their own business Saturday, leaving the two teams tied at 8-9, and the Buccaneers would advance based on the common opponents tiebreaker, unless the Falcons beat the Saints Sunday to create a three-way tie atop the NFC South.

If that happens, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head among the three teams. In that instance, the Panthers would win based on sweeping the Falcons to give them a 3-1 mark in those games, while the Falcons and Bucs split their games, leaving the Bucs at 2-2 in that scenario.

If the Saints beat the Falcons tomorrow (1 p.m. ET, FOX), the Bucs will advance in a two-way tiebreaker with the Panthers.

The Bucs have the third tiebreaker edge in common games. The Panthers are 3-5 in the games against the NFC West and AFC East, while the Bucs are 4-4 in those games. The Panthers had wins over the Rams, Dolphins, and Jets, along with losses to the Seahawks, Bills, Patriots, 49ers, and Cardinals. The Buccaneers beat the Seahawks, 49ers, Cardinals, and Jets, while losing to the Patriots, Bills, Dolphins, and Rams. If it gets to that point, the Panthers' Week 2 loss to the Cardinals on the road will loom large, since the Panthers have a 6-4 to 5-6 edge in conference record, which is the fourth tiebreaker.

That would be the most painful end of the season for a team that has steadily improved from two wins to five wins to eight in the past two seasons.

But if the Falcons win, the Panthers will still host the fifth seed in the NFC, which could be decided as soon as tonight's Seahawks-49ers game (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN).

— Baker Mayfield and Young traded turnovers in the first half.

Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom got Mayfield in the second quarter, which set up Young's touchdown pass to Tommy Tremble.

But Young returned the favor later in the half, with cornerback Jacob Parrish jumping under a pass intended for McMillan. The Bucs turned that one into a field goal before the end of the half, though their own fans were booing their lack of aggressiveness, as they ran to the middle of the field rather than throwing into the end zone.

— The first half was played in a steady downpour, and both teams struggled with footing and ball security, but the Bucs had an easier time of it. (The Panthers changed shoes early in the contest.)

The Bucs outgained the Panthers 216-79 in the first half, primarily because the Panthers ran just 18 offensive plays to their 40.

The Panthers were 0-of-3 on third downs and were held to seven rushing attempts for 4 yards. Their offense doesn't work when that's the case.

— The Panthers lost defensive tackle Bobby Brown III in the first half to a concussion, and he didn't return.

They were already running short on experience, with Tershawn Wharton inactive because of the hamstring that kept him out of the last four games of the regular season.

That left LaBryan Ray and Cam Jackson to finish the game in rotation with starters Derrick Brown and A'Shawn Robinson.