Takeaways From the Buccaneers Get-Right Victory Over the Panthers

Antonio Brown takes on prominent role upon return

Tom Brady threw 30 passes before getting pulled from the game late into the fourth quarter. Half of them, 15, were thrown to wide receiver Antonio Brown, who caught 10 for 101 yards.

Only one other wide receiver earned a target throughout the game - Cyril Grayson had three. Including Grayson, the remainder of Tampa Bay's pass-catching corps caught fewer passes than Brown, combining for eight. We'll discuss Grayson a bit more later, but Sunday was the beginning of the Antonio Brown show for the Buccaneers while other star receivers Chris Godwin (torn ACL) and Mike Evans (hamstring injury) are unavailable.

Despite missing the Bucs' last eight games - in part due to an ankle injury but also while suspended for three matchups for misrepresenting his COVID-19 vaccination status - Tampa Bay had no concern regarding Brown shaking off any rust. He was, from start to finish, Brady's No. 1 weapon throughout the game, and although there were a couple of plays where Brown either dropped a pass or ran the wrong route, he was effective and helped the Buccaneers move the ball.

No Leonard Fournette? No problem.

The Buccaneers' rushing offense didn't skip a beat despite being without starting running back Leonard Fournette, who went on the injured reserve earlier this week with a hamstring injury. The unit scampered to 5.1 yards per carry on 30 attempts, with Ke'Shawn Vaughn posting 70 yards and a touchdown on seven rushes and Ronald Jones II going for 65 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Vaughn got things going with

Granted, Carolina's rushing defense ranks No. 2 in the NFL. It should be an issue for Vaughn and Jones to replicate the performance against the New York Jets (No. 30) in Week 17 or again against Carolina in Week 18. However, if Fournette is not ready to play in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, the duo could certainly be tested in crunch time.

Cyril Grayson continues to emerge

Similar to the Bucs' running back situation, they were forced to rely upon reserves beyond Brown at wide receiver with Godwin and Evans being unavailable. Grayson, a fifth-year receiver with limited playing experience, stepped up to the challenge, hauling in three receptions for 81 yards and taking a jet sweep for an additional 14.

Grayson's first catch of the matchup went for 62 yards, setting up a second-quarter red zone touchdown grab by Cameron Brate. He also provided a key downfield block on Vaughn's 55-yard first-quarter touchdown.

The former All-American LSU sprinter added some late-game heroics in Tampa Bay's 36-27 loss to New Orleans in Week 8 earlier this year, taking a fourth-quarter 50-yard catch to the house to give the Buccaneers a one-point lead - on his second career reception.

Grayson may not be the same caliber receiver as Godwin or Evans and it will be interesting to see how effective he can be aside from posing a deep threat. However, Grayson can clearly provide the Bucs' offense with a spark on occasion and should have more opportunities to make an impact as the playoffs approach.

Another injury, this time to Shaquil Barrett

It is truly remarkable that the Buccaneers were able to so easily win the NFC South given their lack of injury luck this season. Over half of the starting lineup has missed at least one game during the campaign, and another important starter went down on Sunday when edge rusher Shaquil Barrett exited the game with a knee injury.

Barrett went down late in the second quarter and was immediately considered questionable to return. He would come back onto the field on the Bucs' next defensive series but was ruled out shortly after it ended. Head coach Bruce Arians said after the game that it appeared to be a "minor MCL" injury.

ESPN's Adam Schefter added in a report that Barrett will undergo further testing on Monday, but the initial indication is that Barrett did not suffer a long-term injury. It wouldn't be surprising to see Barrett miss the next couple of weeks as a result, in order to ensure full recovery before the playoffs.

Before the injury, Barrett posted four tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and two pass breakups. He became the fourth player in Buccaneers history to produce multiple seasons with double-digit sacks earlier in the matchup, initially posting 19.5 in 2019, joining Simeon Rice (5), Lee Roy Selmon (4) and Warren Sapp (3).

The pass rush set the tone

Speaking of Barrett, his sack and numerous quarterback pressures were a part of what gave Tampa Bay life on Sunday. The Buccaneers' offense was efficient but not explosive or spectacular during the game, but the Bucs' pass rush gave the rest of the team energy and set the offense up in advantageous situations.

In addition to Barrett, William Gholston (2.5), Anthony Nelson (one), Vita Vea (one), Kevin Minter (one) and Steve McLendon (0.5) each continued to the Buccaneers' sack total of seven, their most in a game since posting seven against Buffalo on December 8, 2013.

Barrett's sack came on a first-quarter third down into the red zone which kept Carolina from scoring a touchdown, settling for a field goal instead. Nelson and Vea also produced third-down sacks while Minter's was on a fourth down and resulted in a turnover on downs.

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