Buccaneers vs. Panthers: Complete Report-Card Grades for Carolina
The Carolina Panthers (5-8-1) edged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-12) by a score of 19-17 Sunday afternoon. The win put the Panthers in a tie for first place with New Orleans, but they could be alone atop the division at the conclusion of Monday night's game.
Derek Anderson played another solid game as Cam Newton did not play following his car accident earlier in the week. Anderson was efficient and did his part to move the Panthers offense, but the hero of the day was Graham Gano. His four field goals helped propel Carolina to victory.
For the second week in a row, the defense played extremely well. Carolina only gave up 17 points and generated enough pressure on the passing game to keep Josh McCown off balance. The secondary did a good job of keeping the receiving tandem of Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans in check, although the latter did score a touchdown.
How did the Panthers grade out following another big win?
The following slideshow will have all of those grades, complete with a review of the positional performances by Carolina.
Quarterback
1 of 10
First, let's hope to see a quick return by Cam Newton. To be walking around and smiling following a horrific accident is amazing. However, if he's unable to go the rest of the season, Carolina is in good hands with Derek Anderson.
He made his second start of the season and did just enough to move the offense, put the team in scoring position and come away with the win. His stats on the day were not overly impressive, but he was effective. Anderson was 25-of-40 for 277 yards and a touchdown. He did not turn the ball over and was sacked three times.
His supporting cast made it possible for him to play a decent game, as the Panthers were able to score on three of their first four drives. Ultimately, those points (all field goals) would be the difference in a close victory.
Perhaps Anderson's best moment came in the first quarter when he rushed for eight yards and picked up the first down. After the play was blown dead, he got up and paid homage to his teammate by imitating Newton's first-down celebration, which got a chuckle from the injured Carolina captain.
Another fine performance on Anderson's part has the Panthers still contending for the NFC crown.
Grade: A-
Running Backs
2 of 10
Fresh off a 155-yard performance last week, it looked as though Jonathan Stewart was on his way to another big day. He rushed for 30 yards on Carolina's opening drive and seemed to move the ball at will. He was able to cut back and hit open lanes early on, but then Tampa Bay started clamping down.
Stewart would end the day with 73 yards rushing on 22 carries. He failed to score, although he was close in the second half. However, he fumbled the ball at the 3-yard line, and the Buccaneers recovered. Fortunately, the turnover didn't hurt.
Stewart would fumble again in the fourth quarter, but he was able to recover it and keep possession for the Panthers.
Mike Tolbert and Fozzy Whittaker combined for 17 yards on four carries. Whittaker only carried the ball twice but did have a big run of 11 yards. Tolbert was not a factor, and it's interesting that his number wasn't called inside the 5-yard line prior to the Stewart fumble.
Regardless, the running backs did enough to move the ball and keep Anderson from being burdened by carrying the load of the offense. Still, it was a bit disappointing following such a great game the previous week.
Grade: C+
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
3 of 10
They may not have scored, but Greg Olsen and Kelvin Benjamin had big days. Both receivers had more than 100 receiving yards and were the focal point of the passing game. Olsen led the way with 10 receptions for 110 yards, while Benjamin had 104 yards on eight catches. It appeared that Benjamin would have a touchdown early in the game, but a dropped pass and a rushed one from Derek Anderson resulted in back-to-back incompletions.
Jerricho Cotchery turned in a solid game with five catches for 47 yards. He picked up his first receiving touchdown of the season, and that proved to be valuable in the end.
Philly Brown was quiet for much of the day, but he had a nice pickup on an end-around play in the first quarter that picked up 17 yards. His lone catch resulted in a 10-yard gain that kept the Panthers offense on the field. It was nice to see him back on the field after he left last week's contest early after injuring his shoulder.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
It wasn't not the same dominating performance that fans witnessed last week; however, the Carolina offensive line did enough to keep things going in both the rushing game and the passing attack. While this week's showing paled in comparison to the prior week's, it was still one of the better jobs the unit has done all season long.
The line opened up running lanes early in the game. This was evident on Carolina's first drive as Jonathan Stewart was able to cut back and hit those lanes en route to the Panthers' first points of the game. The protection broke down a bit as the game went on, and those big holes were not as prevalent as they had been earlier.
Anderson was sacked three times, but the protection was adequate enough that he had time to stand in the pocket and find his receivers. It was the protection on his eight-yard scamper that was really impressive, as the line kept the Tampa Bay defense away from him until he surrendered at the end of the play.
This line has improved as of late, and it led to another Carolina victory over the Buccaneers.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Charles Johnson is playing better as the season progresses. He had another good outing and really turned it up in the third quarter with a sack of Josh McCown that forced a fumble. He also stuffed Doug Martin behind the line of scrimmage for a big loss. He would finish the day with four tackles (two for loss), half a sack and two quarterback hits.
The other half of that sack came from Mario Addison. His day was relatively quiet with only two tackles, but his part on the McCown sack turned the tide of the game and swung the momentum in Carolina's favor.
Kawann Short was the guy who recovered the fumble; it was his biggest play of the day. Kony Ealy contributed with a tackle of his own, and Wes Horton had two.
The defensive line took a while to get its bearings. It allowed Martin to rush for a long 63-yard run. The play would allow the Buccaneers to score later on the drive. However, the unit regrouped and played well the rest of the way. Martin would finish the day with 96 yards, which from a defensive standpoint is impressive considering the long run given up to him early in the game.
Grade: B+
Linebackers
6 of 10
Luke Kuechly recorded six tackles, which was well below his season average. However, he was tied for the team lead in that department with Tre Boston. Perhaps the low number of tackles can be attributed to low time of possession for Tampa Bay. The Panthers controlled the clock so well that the Buccaneers did not have as many opportunities offensively as Carolina did.
Kuechly would go on to be the defensive hero as he picked off Josh McCown on Tampa Bay's final series.
Thomas Davis left the game with an injured knee, which was later diagnosed as being hyperextended, as reported by Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer on Twitter. The good news is that it wasn't the knee that had been the focal point of three operations. Before he left, Davis had four tackles.
A.J. Klein played well, as he was second on the team in tackles with five. Much like Davis, he looked to be very physical on some of the plays he was involved in and added a reliable presence on the strong side of the field.
Despite the injury to Davis, the unit had a good day and saw one of its members step up and seal the win for the Panthers.
Grade: A-
Secondary
7 of 10
When the opposing quarterback only throws for 154 yards, credit needs to go to the secondary. While all facets of the Carolina defense limited the production of Josh McCown, the secondary deserves special recognition for keeping Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans in check.
Additional recognition goes out to Roman Harper, who forced a fumble and killed a Tampa Bay drive on third down. His number was called on a blitz package, and he was able to get his hand inside McCown's arm before he threw the ball, generating a 15-yard fumble.
The Panthers would recover.
Josh Norman did a good job of holding Evans in check. He did allow the rookie to score a touchdown in the first quarter, but Evans would only catch one more pass afterward.
The rookies, Tre Boston and Bene Benwikere, each had another strong defensive performance, combining for nine tackles and two passes defended. Boston accounted for six of those tackles.
Carolina's secondary continued to play strong, and overall, the defense is performing well at the right time.
Grade: A
Special Teams
8 of 10
Graham Gano won this game for Carolina. He was called upon five times to kick field goals, and he converted four of them. His lone miss was from 51 yards out, and it's is a tough kick for anyone, especially outdoors. Had it not been for Gano accounting for 12 of the Panthers' 19 points, this game would have ended differently.
It had to be maddening for fans to see those early drives stall in Buccaneers' territory, but at least they generated points.
Brad Nortman made life difficult for Tampa Bay as he pinned the offense inside the 10-yard line twice. The poor field position worked in Carolina's favor and saw the Panthers offense take over soon after. Nortman averaged 33 yards on his punts, but when two of them were kicked around midfield, it's all about field position and keeping the opposing team as far behind the 20 as possible.
It looks as though Fozzy Whittaker has emerged as the Panthers' new kick returner. He averaged 19.7 yards on three returns and has big-play ability if given the proper blocks.
Special teams won on Sunday via the kicking game. The efforts of both Gano and Nortman proved to be valuable.
Grade: A
Coaching
9 of 10
Ron Rivera has a knack for winning in December. With the win against Tampa Bay, he improved to 13-3 in December games. Another strong finish could be the difference in winning the division and staying home and watching the playoffs.
He perfectly tailored the game plan to his team's strengths and made the most out of what he had to work with offensively. It would have been nice if those field goals were touchdowns, but since the Panthers won, it's a moot point to be overly critical.
One question that may have fans dumbfounded is why Mike Tolbert was not utilized down at the goal line.
Whether that decision is on Rivera or offensive coordinator Mike Shula, the fact of the matter is the strongest weapon for that particular part of the field went unused. Would his presence have changed the outcome? Probably not, but this is a player who thrives in red-zone and short-yardage situations.
He needs to play.
As a whole, the Panthers coaching staff did a great job in preparing for this game and did not let last week's success get in the way of the business the team needed to take care of with playoff hopes on the line.
Grade: A
Final Grade
10 of 10
Quarterback: A-
Running Backs: C+
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: B+
Offensive Line: B
Defensive Line: B+
Linebackers: A-
Secondary: A
Special Teams: A
Coaching: A
Final Grade: A
The Carolina Panthers are two wins and a New Orleans loss away from clinching a second straight division title. After everything that took place earlier in the week with Cam Newton's accident, this team was focused and ready to play. The final two games are winnable, and as this game proved, Carolina is a resilient team that has embraced the "next man up" philosophy.
It remains to be seen how the last two weeks will play out, but Carolina is playing well at the right time.
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