From the very first series, the Panthers didn’t have much of anything go their way.  On the first possession of the game, Jason Baker had a punt blocked which was then ran back for a touchdown, putting the Bucs ahead 7-0 with hardly two minutes gone by in the first quarter.  As they say, it was all downhill from there.  Be it on the offense, defense, or special teams, the Bucs straight up handed it to the Panthers.

Jake Delhomme, who was 7-1 against the Bucs coming into the game, just wasn’t on his game, throwing three interceptions.  But it wasn’t just Delhomme, the entire offense looked off.  There were a number of dropped passes, and to make matters worse, the coaching staff seemed to be trying in vain to run the football, but I’ll get back to that later.  The bottom line is that pretty much the entire team stunk.

Key Stats

9: Number of times the Panther’s starting field position was below the 25 yard line.  Field position. Field position. Field position. It’s everything.  One of the main factors in the success of the Panthers so far this season has been their ability to win the field position game.  By far Tampa Bay outplayed the Panthers in that category.  The poor special teams play, combined win an ineffective offense gave the Bucs a short field, and the Panthers a long one, almost the entire game.

25%: 3rd down efficiency for Carolina.  John Fox and Jeff Davidson seem intent on establishing the running game for almost three quarters of play, the problem was, Tampa Bay was manhandling the offensive line.  The rushes on first and second down, left Carolina with numerous 3rd and long situations, making conversions difficult.

2.0: Average yards per rush. The injuries to the offensive line finally caught up to the Panthers Sunday.  Neither DeAngelo Williams or Jonathan Stewart could get anything going against a very stout Tampa Bay defense.  I know John Fox want’s the Panthers to be a running football team, but you have to know when to give something up.

Play Calling: Okay, I know it’s not a stat, but it has to be addressed.  I can understand some conservative play calling in the first half, even though you down by two touchdowns, but the play calling in the second half was ridiculous.  When the Panthers were backed up on their own one yard line, offensive coordinator, Jeff Davidson, went and called three run plays, essentially ceding a three and out.  The Bucs had stacked nine players in the box, waiting for the Panthers to run the ball, and that’s exactly what they did.  Your down 14 points, why not call a quick pass play and actually try and get the first down, if that doesn’t work, okay, but you have to at least try.  Also the two wide receiver sets in the fourth quarter were ridiculous.  They’re down by 17 points, and Davidson is still trying to run the ball! At that point you have to open up the offense.

As bad as the Panthers did play, they’re still in the division lead. Maybe there is a silver lining here.  At least now they won’t be getting too full of themselves, and certainly will be ready to redeam themselves in December when they take on the Bucs agian on Monday night.

Tags: Jake Delhomme, nfc south, panthers