Punter Jake Camarda saved the Bucs' season with an unbelievably athletic punt and fans were in awe
Despite spending much of the season below .500, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers locked up the NFC South title on Sunday. And they can absolutely thank punter Jake Camarda for that.
He pulled off one of the more athletic efforts you’ll ever see from a punter.
With the Bucs up six points against the Panthers and punting with 42 seconds to go, a low snap had Camarda in a desperate scramble towards the sideline. In what could have been a disaster for the Bucs, Camarda managed to get a punt off right by the sidelines and have the ball downed around the two-yard line.
It was ridiculous.
Bucs punter Jake Camarda saves a potential disaster of a punt!
: #CARvsTB on FOX
: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/iBHCs5kpjA pic.twitter.com/xaMgChEhJI— NFL (@NFL) January 1, 2023
Now, the play would end up getting called back due to a penalty. But it did make a huge difference. By pulling off that heads-up effort, Camarda gave the Panthers no choice but to accept the penalty (giving Camarda a re-punt). The whole punt took 11 seconds off the clock too.
The play easily could have turned into a takeaway or put the Panthers in excellent field position. Instead, they had almost no shot of mounting a comeback drive.
No wonder everyone was impressed with Camarda there. It was a sensational play.