Grading the Panthers in Week 2 loss to Tampa Bay: Turnovers doom Carolina offense
It was always going to be a long season for the Carolina Panthers’ defense.
But when the offense turns it over twice in the first quarter and twice in the second half, then problems will follow. That was the case Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took advantage of the Panthers’ early miscues and turned them into points.
Those early points proved to be too much for the Panthers (0-2), and the Bucs (1-1) won the game 31-17. First-year head coach Matt Rhule had said he hoped his team would make a jump from Week 1 to Week 2 and learn from their mistakes.
But that didn’t appear to be the case.
Here’s this week’s report card for the Panthers.
Passing offense
D-plus: While it could have been worse, it certainly wasn’t good. The Panthers’ offense committed four turnovers on the day — two in each half.
One of those turnovers was an interception on a poorly thrown screen pass by quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. This was after he threw three perfect passes to get to the Bucs’ 22-yard line.
The pass protection was also poor. Bridgewater was sacked five times and fumbled once. He was pressured often.
Bridgewater finished 33-of-42 passing for 367 yards and two interceptions.
In the second half, Bridgewater finally got into a rhythm. He took care of the football, found his receivers and cut the lead to 7 points early in the fourth quarter.
After the defense made a stop on the next possession, Bridgewater and the offense had a chance to tie the game. But another interception followed. The pass was intended for D.J. Moore, who got his left hand on the ball but could not come up with the catch.
In all, the Panthers had four turnovers a week after having none in their season-opener against the Raiders.
Running offense
B-minus: The Panthers didn’t run for a lot of yards, but they did rush for two touchdowns. The Bucs did a good job bottling up Christian McCaffrey in their two games last season. Tampa was one of two teams to hold him under 40 yards rushing in 2019, and they did it twice.
McCaffrey finished with 59 yards rushing on 18 carries Sunday. But his two touchdowns — both of which occurred in the second half — gave the Panthers a chance.
McCaffrey has rushed for 156 yards and four touchdowns through the first two games. He suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter and did not return. It would be huge for the Panthers if he has to miss time.
Curtis Samuel added 26 yards on four carries.
Passing defense
C-plus: The Panthers’ passing defense could have been worse. Things held up after a poor first half.
Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans had 5 catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. And Tom Brady was 17-of-23 for 198 yards and a touchdown in the first half.
In the second half, things were much better for the Panthers. Cornerback Donte Jackson intercepted a Brady pass in the third quarter. Brady had 19 yards passing in the second half, and Evans 13 yards after halftime.
Rushing defense
C-minus: This grade was a B-minus before Bucs running back Leonard Fournette busted a 46-yard touchdown run with 1:48 remaining in the game. The score put the Bucs up 14 points and made the game out of reach for the Panthers.
The Panthers’ run defense without Kawann Short and Yetur Gross-Matos was stout prior to that. Panthers backup Woodrow Hamilton, who was activated off the practice squad this week, had a tackle at the line of scrimmage and a fumble recovery. Panthers defensive end Brian Burns had two tackles for loss.
It was a good sign for a team that gave up a league-high 31 rushing touchdowns in 2019, and three in Week 1.
Then the Fournette score happened. The Bucs rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns Sunday.
Coaching
C: It was an average day for the Panthers’ coaching staff. The offense initially looked terrible, and the defense wasn’t playing well either. But the Carolina defense made adjustments in the second half, and prevented the Bucs from scoring in the third quarter.
They even picked off Brady. And after trailing 21-0 at halftime, the Panthers cut the lead to 21-14 early in the fourth quarter. They had a chance to tie the game before the Bridgewater interception.
The Bucs took a 24-14 lead late in the fourth. Even though the Panthers cut the lead to a touchdown again, it was too little, too late.
This story was originally published September 20, 2020 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Grading the Panthers in Week 2 loss to Tampa Bay: Turnovers doom Carolina offense."
