Week 10: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Panthers continue to struggle after losing their fifth consecutive game this season. The Buccaneers were simply too much for this team this past Sunday. Offensively, the Panthers had flashes, which is to be expected from them at this point of the season. However, they were completely shut down in the second half. Here's the good, bad, and ugly from the Sunday loss:
The GOOD: Trenton Cannon's 98-yard return
Carolina desperately needed life in the fourth quarter after the Buccaneers completely dominated in the third. The Panthers were still licking their wounds after Ronald Jones II's 98-yard touchdown run and Ryan Succop's field goals widened the Bucs' lead to 32-17. Carolina's offense could not get going, which gave the Tampa Bay momentum going into the fourth. However, Trenton Cannon's kick return to the Buccaneers' four-yard line gave the offense a much needed boost. Teddy Bridgewater followed this up with a rushing touchdown to bring the score to 32-23. Unfortunately...
The BAD: The Panthers' 187 TOTAL yards on offense
The Buccaneers are known for their impressive defense. Who would have thought that they could hold Joe Brady's offense to 187 yards, though? They did a great job at containing Teddy Bridgewater and forcing him to try to beat them through the air. He finished with 136 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, which is certainly underwhelming. Mike Davis' 32 rushing yards on seven carries didn't impress either, but he didn't receive many opportunities to tote the rock. The offensive line gave up three sacks and eight quarterback hits on Sunday. That's too much punishment for any quarterback to deal with and the line has to be better. This offense as a whole has to perform better. At this point, the Panthers are playing for pride, but it will be interesting to see how Joe Brady and company face this adversity.
The UGLY: The second half
Tampa Bay did whatever they wanted to with this Panthers defense in the second half. Tom Brady had a quality day with 341 passing yards and 3 touchdowns while Ronald Jones II had a monster game. Jones II rushed for 192 yards and one touchdown. If you take away the 98-yarder in the third quarter, Jones still would have rushed for a total of 94 yards. The Panthers offense was able to keep up with Tampa Bay in the first half, but they could not finish. The Buccaneers ran away with the game and bulldozed the Panthers defense as a result. Winning teams make winning plays in the second half, and Carolina was completely unable to make those plays.
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