Sports

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The offense was sluggish. The defense struggled against the pass again. Special teams gave up another long kickoff return.

Still, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won a game to end a three-game losing streak. They were lucky they were facing the lowly Arizona Cardinals.

The Bucs have to play better to be a playoff team.

After a 17-3 lead dissolved, the defense held on for a 20-17 victory on Sunday. It was Tampa Bay’s first victory in a month and just the second in six games. At 7-5, the four-time defending NFC South champions have a half-game lead over the Panthers (7-6) following Carolina’s stunning 31-28 upset over the Los Angeles Rams.

The Buccaneers and Panthers will meet twice in the final three weeks to determine the division winner.

First, Tampa Bay hosts New Orleans (2-10) and Atlanta (4-8) in a four-day span. The Bucs beat both division rivals already on the road and can’t afford a letdown.

“If you look at it theoretically, we’re in control of our own destiny,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “But, if we continue that mindset of a playoff push, things should take care of itself. But, it’s not going to be easy — we truly have to take it one game at a time. Now that we have division opponents, it’s even more important. Just have to get healthy and continue to prepare like we did and go from there.”

The Buccaneers got key players back against Arizona and more help could be on the way. Running back Bucky Irving returned after missing seven games and provided a spark with 81 scrimmage yards and a touchdown run. Left guard Ben Bredeson started after missing two games, boosting the offensive line. Edge rusher Haason Reddick played his first game in six weeks and helped the defense generate more pressure. Cornerback Jamel Dean returned to the lineup and allowed just one catch.

Wide receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan and defensive lineman Calijah Kancey remain out but could return before the season ends.

“We are getting healthy at the right time of the season,” linebacker Lavonte David said. “We’re going to need everybody to make this stretch run that we want to make. Hopefully we get more guys back as the season goes on and see where it goes.”

The Buccaneers have impressive wins on the road against Houston and Seattle and beat San Francisco at home. But they lost to five other teams with winning records: Philadelphia, Detroit, New England, Buffalo and the Rams. The Panthers are the only team they face the rest of the season that currently is above .500.

“We’ve got to keep stacking,” Reddick said. “We know what it felt like when we lost those three games in (a) row. We finally were able to get a (win), to see the energy back, to see the happiness. If we want it to continue to be like this, then we’ve got to continue to play better ball.”

Ball security. The Bucs had no turnovers for the seventh time this season. They’re 6-1 in those games. Overall, they’ve turned it over nine times and have 18 takeaways.

Offense. The Bucs managed only 279 yards and 20 points against a defense that came in 19th in yards allowed and 24th in scoring.

Kicker Chase McLaughlin. He connected on a 57-yard field goal that provided the margin of victory, and is perfect 9-for-9 from 50-plus yards this season.

Cornerback Jacob Parrish. The rookie struggled, allowing seven catches on seven targets for 62 yards.

CB Benjamin Morrison (hamstring) missed his second straight game. ... Evans (clavicle), McMillan (neck) and Kancey (pectoral) have been working out but there’s still no timeline for their return.

38% — The Bucs held the Cardinals to 3 of 8 on third downs, the eighth time this season they held an opponent to a success rate of 40% or less.

The Buccaneers host the New Orleans Saints (2-10) on Sunday.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl