TAMPA, Fla. — The Cincinnati Bengals maintained their standing atop the AFC North on Sunday by holding off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 14-13 win at Raymond James Stadium.

The Bengals (8-3-1) got off to a sluggish start and fell behind 10-0, but their defense kept the Bucs in check the rest of the way.

The Bengals needed every stop they could get as they didn’t muster much offense, either. Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton completed 19 of 27 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown, and the Bucs only managed 263 total yards.

Despite their record, the Bucs entered the day with a faint chance of winning the lackluster NFC South as they were only two games out of the division lead.

Instead, Tampa Bay (2-10) let another lead slip away and maintained the NFC’s worst record.

The Bucs had a chance to pull off a game-winning drive, getting the ball on the 20-yard line with 2:07 left to play. Quarterback Josh McCown hooked up with receiver Louis Murphy to get the Bucs within field goal range, but the play was called back because they had 12 men on the field.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis attempted to challenge that play but wasn’t able to, which cost Cincinnati a timeout. But during the delay, officials noticed upon review that the Bucs had too many men on the field, negating Murphy’s big reception and setting Tampa Bay back five yards.

The Bucs came up short on 4th-and-20 three plays later, and the Bengals escaped with a victory.

On the first play of the game, cornerback Johnthan Banks picked off a pass from Dalton, setting up Patrick Murray;s 32-yard field goal to give the Bucs a 3-0 lead.

Running back Doug Martin scored his first touchdown since Sept. 28 three minutes into the second quarter, dashing 7 yards into the end zone for the Bucs’ first rushing touchdown since Week 5.

That gave the Bucs a 10-0 lead for the third straight week, but it wouldn’t last.

With about a minute left in the first half, Dalton capped an eight-play, 64-yard drive with a 5-yard, read-option touchdown run. That pulled the Bengals within three points at halftime.

After throwing three interceptions in the first half, Dalton settled in. He connected with star wideout A.J. Green for a 13-yard touchdown to put the Bengals ahead by four with three minutes to go in the third quarter.

Looking to seize the momentum after Dalton’s go-ahead touchdown pass, the Bengals attempted an onside kick. But the gamble didn’t pay off, as the Bucs recovered it and wound up settling for a 42-yard field goal by Murray.

NOTES: The Bucs played Sunday without several notable players, including LB Lavonte David, their leading tackler this season, who sat for the second week in a row with a hamstring injury. Also inactive were starting DT Clinton McDonald, C Evan Dietrich-Smith and TEs Brandon Myers, Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Luke Stocker. … Bengals defensive tackle Domata Peko left the game with an elbow injury and did not return. … The Bucs announced on Sunday a $2,500 donation to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in honor of Leah Still, daughter of Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still.