The Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened the season at home with a loss against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, 20-14. A game that featured many miscues and sloppy play, the Bucs were not deserving of winning this contest.
Things went south for Tampa Bay when they got into Panthers territory late in the first quarter. Two plays after Javorski Lane ran the ball for 54 yards from their own four-yard line, McCown tried to improvise on a near-sack and threw it up for tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins. The pass would be batted up in the air and be picked off by Carolina’s Antoine Cason.
On the Panthers’ ensuing drive, Carolina ate up the clock. Tampa Bay held their running game in check but it was their passing game that drove them down field. Carolina, led by quarterback Derek Anderson, went 15 plays for 69 yards which took up nine minutes. The drive was capped off when Anderson found tight end Greg Olsen from five yards out. Anderson would throw another touchdown in the fourth quarter to rookie Kelvin Benjamin, finishing 24-for-34 for 230 yards and two touchdowns.
McCown’s day did not progress any better. Moving the football again near the end of the third quarter, Tampa Bay’s veteran signal caller fumbled the snap, recovered it, then tried to get the pass out into the flat but would be picked off by Roman Harper. That led to another Carolina touchdown.
McCown would throw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter but would obviously not be enough, finishing 22-for-35 for 183 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also picked up 27 yards off of three scrambling attempts.
The Buccaneers will look to correct things this week before they play host to the St. Louis Rams next Sunday.
Notable Buccaneers Statistics
WR Vincent Jackson – 4 rec., 36 yards
WR Mike Evans – 5 rec., 37 yards
TE Brandon Myers – 6 rec., 41 yards
RB Doug Martin – 9 carries, 9 yards
DT Gerald McCoy – 8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack
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