The Panthers outplayed the Buccaneers but “missed opportunities” are going to echo for another week.
Bryce Young threw for a season high 298 yards, but missed field goals, dropped passes, and an overtime fumble doomed the Carolina Panthers as they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 26-23.
First Quarter
Both teams traded three and outs followed by bad punts to start the game. There was a slight delay after the Panthers first drive because an official had to be carted off after bumping into a player.
After going three and out with all passes on the first drive, the Panthers did the same with three runs on the second. Johnny Hekker one upped his own terrible first punt with a 33 yard second punt. The Bucs took advantage of the good field position and worked into scoring range. A soft-ish pass interference call on Mike Jackson on third down gave the Bucs three more chances from the one. They went back to the fade route to Mike Evans, who made an incredible one handed catch for the touchdown.
Jonathon Brooks took over running back duties for the third drive and got a touch on the first play. He made two men miss after catching the check down and picked up a first down. The Panthers ended up in field goal range and settled for three on 4th and 1.
Second Quarter
The second quarter started with a Bucs punt after another stop by the defense. The offense worked into scoring range after Bryce Young extended a play under pressure and found Tommy Tremble wide open up the sidelines. They ended up settling for another field goal, this time on 4th and 4, but Eddy Pineiro hooked it.
Jadeveon Clowney tripped up Baker Mayfield after a Bucs holding to put their offense in an inescapable hole. Trenton Gill shanked another punt, and the Panthers set up on the Bucs 36 yard line. A Bucs penalty tacked onto a Chuba Hubbard run set the Panthers up inside the red zone. They tried to derail their own drive with a false start, but Young escaped the pocket on third down and sprinted to the pylon for a Panthers touchdown.
The Bucs leaned on Mike Evans on the ensuing drive, and Baker Mayfield hit him for a couple of big gains. They ran down inside the ten yard line, but the Panthers defense made a couple of stops before a false start penalty short circuited the drive. Chase McLaughlin kicked a game tying field goal.
The Panthers got one more possession before the half. Young found a couple more completions, and a questionable roughing the passer on the Bucs moved the Panthers into opposing territory. A David Moore false start turned a 3rd and 9 into 3rd and 14. Young found Thielen for a 12 yard completion. The Panthers kicked the field goal on 4th and 2, and Pineiro missed it again. Good thing Dave Canales played it safe, right?
Jaycee Horn committed a 14 yard pass interference on the first play of the ensuing Bucs drive. A couple plays later, Chau Smith-Wade picked off an ill advised checkdown and ran it back near midfield. Young completions to Adam Thielen, Tommy Tremble, and David Moore set the Panthers up inside the 20 yard line. Young found Thielen with a dart on a post route. The receiver bobbled it but was able to gain control just in time as his knee hit the ground in the back of the endzone. Unfortunately, the referees didn’t agree and left the call as an incomplete pass. The Panthers had to settle for another field goal attempt, and this time Pineiro just barely snuck it inside the left upright.
Third Quarter
The Panthers defense held up on their first drive of the second half and forced a punt. The offense didn’t hold up their end though. The Panthers stuck with their pass heavy attack and worked just across midfield, but the drive stalled there with Xavier Legette dropping a third down pass from Young.
The defense kept putting pressure on Baker Mayfield. Amare Barno made a nice shoestring tackle on Mayfield as he was escaping into midfield. Ejiro Evero brought the house on the next play, and Josey Jewell got to the quarterback. Mayfield was injured by getting stepped on within the mess of bodies.
After another Panthers three and out followed by a short punt that benefited from a friendly bounce, Kyle Trask took over for the Bucs at quarterback. He was out there for all of two plays before Mayfield trotted onto the field to throw a third down interception to Xavier Woods.
The interception set the Panthers up on the 20 yard line. The first play was a nice darting run for nine yards by Jonathon Brooks. Young escaped a free runner on third down to find Brooks in the flat to set up a goal to go situation. They couldn’t punch it in and had to kick another field goal. The quarter ended with the Panthers up six.
Fourth Quarter
The Bucs road Bucky Irving on their next possession, and he repeatedly found room to pick up yards. He took a couple plays to collect himself once the Bucs made it to the redzone, but he came back in to weave through the Panthers defense for the go ahead touchdown.
With the Panthers in familiar territory trailing the Bucs, Young got sacked by an almost free runner on first down despite the Bucs not bringing any extra pressure. That ended the drive before it began. The Bucs hopped right back on the Bucky train, and he ran them all the way down inside the 10 with a 43 yard run. He got spelled by Rachaad White, and he couldn’t finish the drive. A’Shawn Robinson blew up a 3rd and 1 run that ended up losing five yards. The Bucs settled for a field goal to go up 20-16.
Bucs punter Trenton Gill’s rough day continued as his line drive kickoff landed short of the landing zone, which gave the Panthers the ball at the 40 yard line. A couple of passes to David Moore and a couple of runs by Hubbard earned the Panthers a couple of first downs. Tommy Tremble picked up a big chunk on an under route that he almost broke free. On the next play, Young climbed the pocket and found Thielen at the goal line for a 25 yard touchdown.
They left too much time for Baker Mayfield (30 seconds). He hit Mike Evans down the middle of the field for 17 yards to get out close to the 50 yard line. He scrambled away for another first down across the Panthers 45. Short passes to Jalen McMillan and Sterling Shepherd set up a 51 yard field goal to send the game to overtime. McLaughlin knocked it right down the middle.
Overtime
Caleb Farley committed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the opening kickoff to give the Bucs good field position to start overtime. It took two plays for the Bucs to cross midfield and reach the Panthers 40 yard line. A Trevin Wallace sack set the Bucs up with third and long and saved the Panthers suddenly struggling defense. Mayfield checked it down to set up McLaughlin for a 55 yard kick. Fresh off the high of nailing the game tying field goal, McLaughlin pulled it left.
Adam Thielen made an incredible falling one handed catch on third down to keep the Panthers drive alive and put them in field goal range. On the next play, Chuba Hubbard had the ball ripped away from him, and it was recovered by the defense. An intermediate pass to Mike Evans and a long run by Rachaad White was all it took for the Bucs to set up the game winning field goal.
Overview
Individual mistakes are going to be the story of a game the Panthers are going to feel like they should have won. Eddy Pineiro missed two very makeable field goals. If he makes even one of those two, the Panthers are more than likely winners in regulation. Adam Thielen probably should have gotten credit for a touchdown, but his bobble allowed the referee to make an incomplete ruling on the field, and there were no angles that could definitively overturn the call. David Moore and Xavier Legette had a couple of drops that ended drives. And of course, Chuba Hubbard’s fumble with the Panthers in field goal range sealed the team’s fate.
Aside from the ill timed individual mistakes, the Panthers played well. Bryce Young wasn’t quite as sharp as he was against the Chiefs, but he played good ball and looked poised and in command. Jonathon Brooks had some pop when he got space to operate. The defense had a few more sacks and forced a couple of turnovers. The team is definitely trending up.
Up next is a visit to the surging Philadelphia Eagles.