Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Full Tampa Bay Game Preview
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still looking for their first home win under head coach Lovie Smith, and they'll try to get it this week against the undefeated Carolina Panthers.
The Bucs are just 1-2 heading into this NFC South showdown, but a victory would give them a 2-0 record within the division and give a young team plenty of confidence. The Panthers have overcome a rash of key injuries to open the 2015 season 3-0 behind quarterback Cam Newton.
Tampa Bay is coming off a 19-9 loss on the road against the Houston Texans last week, while the Panthers are coming off a 27-22 win over another NFC South foe, the New Orleans Saints.
Will the Bucs get to .500 with a big home win, or will Newton lead Carolina to a 4-0 start?
Tampa Bay fans, here's everything you need to know about this week's game.
Viewing Info
Date: Sunday, October 4
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
TV: Fox
Week 3 Results and Recap
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| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Streak |
| Carolina Panthers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 71 | 48 | W3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 89 | 72 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 49 | 80 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 60 | 84 | L3 |
Thanks to missed opportunities on offense and four missed kicks, the Bucs suffered their second loss of the season last week, falling to the Houston Texans 19-9 at NRG Stadium.
Kyle Brindza nailed a 58-yarder in the first half but went on to miss an extra point and his next three field-goal attempts.
Tampa Bay's defense held the Houston offense for most of the game, but the floodgates finally broke in the fourth quarter as the unit wore down. The Bucs were plagued by constant drops by the receiving corps, contributing to an awful 1-of-12 conversion total on third downs.
Penalties were a huge issue again, as the Bucs were flagged 10 times for 84 yards. Penalties set the Bucs back in the field position game, extended drives on defense and even nullified a sack and fumble recovery at a key moment in the first half.
Mike Evans showed plenty of rust as he continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury, but he still led the team with seven catches for 101 yards.
Despite the shortcomings on offense, Tampa Bay's much-maligned offensive line played its best game yet, holding the Texans without a sack and breaking J.J. Watt's streak of seven straight games with at least one sack.
News and Notes
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It's Been a While, Cam
The Bucs and Panthers play each other twice a year, but the Pewter Pirates haven't faced off against Cam Newton since 2013.
But as Andrew Astleford of ESPN.com points out, Newton's absence in both of last year's games didn't do much to help the Bucs:
"Panthers quarterback Cam Newton missed both games against Tampa Bay last season -- and the Bucs still managed to lose. Backup Derek Anderson threw for a combined 507 yards and three touchdowns while Newton recovered from injuries. Newton is 4-2 all-time against the Bucs with 1,414 yards passing and 281 yards rushing.
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Not only is Newton fully healthy, but he's also got a banged-up Panthers team sitting pretty at 3-0 with plenty of confidence. The Bucs will have to pull out all the stops on defense to contain one of the league's most unique talents at the quarterback position.
Long-Awaited Upgrades Coming to RayJay?
While much of the NFL has been seeing new stadiums and significant renovations to venues over the past few years, Tampa Bay's friendly confines have seen little in the way of keeping up with the trend.
But that all looks to be changing soon. In what could be an effort to acquire another Super Bowl and prepare for the 2017 college football national title game, the Bucs are looking at up to $100 million in upgrades, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
The upgrades are much-needed, but a stipulation regarding multiple "home" games in other cities isn't likely to sit well with fans. This will be an interesting situation to keep an eye on over the next year or so.
Bucs Shuffle Roster
The Bucs made a few moves at the bottom of their roster over the past couple of days, waiving running back Mike James and promoting offensive tackle Reid Fragel to the active roster, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com.
James cleared waivers and was signed to the practice squad, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. The Bucs also signed guard Antoine Everett and tight end Tevin Westbrook to the practice squad, per Smith.
With starting left tackle Donovan Smith missing practice on Wednesday, adding Fragel to the active roster will give the Bucs an emergency plan if the rookie isn't able to play on Sunday. Fragel started the last three preseason games at right tackle in place of the injured Demar Dotson.
Latest Injury News
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| Player | Position | Injury |
| Gerald McCoy | DT | Shoulder |
| Johnthan Banks | CB | Knee |
| Austin Seferian-Jenkins | TE | Shoulder |
| Donovan Smith | OT | Knee |
| George Johnson | DE | Neck |
| Evan Smith | C | Ankle |
| Major Wright | S | Abdomen |
| Luke Stocker | TE | Hip |
| Chris Conte | S | Hip |
*All injury information courtesy of Buccaneers.com
Another week, another fairly lengthy injury list for the Bucs, with plenty of starters included.
McCoy, Johnson, Wright and Conte were all able to take part in practice on Wednesday, at least in a limited capacity. The rest of the names listed above were unable to practice, making Thursday and Friday key checkpoints for their ability to play on Sunday.
Tampa Bay's depth in the secondary and along the trenches could be heavily impacted by these injuries, as Banks is the team's best cover man and McCoy anchors the entire defense in the middle. Not having either Smith available would leave the offensive line extremely short-handed and looking for a stopgap starter at left tackle.
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Top Matchups
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Bucs LBs Lavonte David and Kwon Alexander vs. TE Greg Olsen
The Bucs have had tons of trouble containing quality tight ends in the passing game, and they'll face one of the league's best in Olsen, who has done plenty of damage of his own to Tampa Bay in recent memory.
Olsen is on a hot streak, but the Bucs have the athletes at linebacker to hang with him. Both David and Alexander are explosive playmakers who have the skills to keep Olsen from dominating, but it will come down to execution. He's clearly Cam Newton's favorite target, and the Bucs would be wise to force him to look elsewhere on Sunday.
WR Mike Evans vs. CB Josh Norman
Evans is finally back to full strength after nursing a hamstring injury, but he had multiple drops last week and still looked a bit rusty. He should be back to his 2014 self this week, and he'll need to be, as he's likely to draw plenty of attention from Carolina's top cover man.
Norman is probably the best defensive player in the NFL that you've never heard of, but Bucs fans will know all about him after this game. A fifth-round pick in 2012 out of Coastal Carolina, Norman flashed his ridiculous ability with an acrobatic interception to seal Carolina's win last week. He'll be charged with keeping Evans from topping 100 receiving yards for the second straight week.
X-Factor
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Bucs X-Factor of the Week: RB Doug Martin
A rookie quarterback's best friend is a solid running game, and it's time the Bucs made a stronger commitment to feeding Doug Martin the ball.
Martin showed up to training camp 20 pounds lighter and looked much more like the rookie version of himself that made the 2012 Pro Bowl, impressing throughout practice and preseason action. He's fully healthy, more explosive and is constantly picking up valuable yards after contact.
Despite this, Martin is averaging just over 16 touches per game so far this season, which is a head-scratcher. The team is still high on backup Charles Sims, but though he's had his own flashes so far this year, Martin has clearly established himself as the workhorse-worthy back on the roster.
The offensive line has improved every week so far this year, and it's time for offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter to show confidence in that unit and Martin by giving him a healthy dose of touches this week.
Prediction: Panthers 27, Bucs 24
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The Bucs have shown a few reasons for fans to be encouraged over the past two games, but there are still plenty of kinks to work out. Their lone win came against a still-winless New Orleans Saints team, and this game will have even higher stakes as the NFC South picture continues to take shape.
The Panthers have been dealing with multiple injuries to key players, but Cam Newton continues to lead his team to victory. Tampa Bay will have its hands full with his versatility, even if it has a game plan completely built around stopping him.
The pressure will be on the Bucs to give their home fans a much better showing than the 42-14 thrashing they took at the hands of the Tennessee Titans in Week 1.
In a close game, I tend to give the edge to the team with the most experience and a reliable kicking game. Obviously, after last week's debacle—three missed field goals and a missed extra point—the Bucs don't get the nod in the kicking department.
Head coach Ron Rivera and his Panthers take a close one in Tampa Bay and stay undefeated, while the Bucs finish the first quarter of the season with just one win.
Final Prediction: Panthers 27, Bucs 24
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