By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers rookie safety Lathan Ransom has experienced the dramatic highs and lows of playing in the NFL in his first season.
One week after a crucial penalty that led to a costly loss to the New Orleans Saints, Ransom redeemed himself on Sunday by intercepting Baker Mayfield with 42 seconds left to seal the Panthers’ 23-20 win over the Buccaneers — allowing Carolina to vault into sole possession of first place in the NFC South.
“I faced a lot of adversity, and I heard noise from everybody last week,” Ransom said. “… (But) that’s how you shake back.”
Ransom couldn’t have felt much worse last week on the flight home from New Orleans after he was flagged for hitting sliding Saints quarterback Tyler Shough with 9 seconds left on a bang-bang play. Officials flagged Ransom for unnecessary roughness, and the 15-yard penalty turned a difficult 61-yard field goal attempt into a far more makable one from 46 yards.
Charlie Smyth put it through the uprights to complete the Saints’ 20-17 come-from-behind win.
Had the Panthers defeated the Saints, they would have only needed to beat the Bucs on Sunday to clinch the NFC South and end a seven-year playoff drought. Instead, the loss left the Panthers on the outside of the playoff bubble.
Ransom said he was hard on himself.
But the fourth-draft pick from Ohio State decided early last week that instead of dwelling on the mistake he’d use it as motivation.
“I understand that the game is not won or lost by one play, but people behind their phone are going to have their own opinions,” Ransom said. “I just heard all the noise — listened to it and used it as fuel for this game.”
Ransom leaned on the support last week of veteran defensive leaders such as Jaycee Horn, Derrick Brown and Mike Jackson, who shares the locker next to him.
Jackson and others advised to look ahead, not back and keeping playing at full speed.
“He responded like a grown man should,” Jackson said. “At the end of day, everyone was talking trash to him, like he shouldn’t be in the game and this and that. And today he responded like he should be. I’ll just say I’m proud of him. Because at the end of the day it’s grown man football and he showed that.”
Panthers coach Dave Canales greeted Ransom on the sideline with a huge hug after interception, and smiled as he spoke about the rookie after the game.
“That’s a great story,” Canales said. “That’s fantastic and it’s just about belief and having confidence in our guys to be able to be studs about the things we need to work on and be studs about the different decisions that come up. I love that for Lathan — for him to be able to make the winning play, the biggest play of the game for us.”
The Panthers will need more big plays from Ransom and other young players if they hope to dethrone the Buccaneers, who have won the last four NFC South titles.
Carolina can clinch the division with a win next week against Seattle and a Tampa Bay loss to Miami. But if the Bucs win, it will come down to a rematch in Week 18 for the division title.
“I’ve learned a bunch throughout the season, especially from that first game,” Ransom said. “You’re going to learn. It’s a learning process. You’re playing with the best of the best. I learn more and more every game and I try to take those teachings into the next game.”