The start to the 2012 season didn't exactly go as planned for the Carolina Panthers, losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16-10 on Sunday.

Cam Newton was 23-of-33 for 303 yards and a touchdown, yet two costly interceptions and three sacks prevented the Panthers offense from finding a good rhythm. The offense's inability to run the ball without Jonathan Stewart created more problems, as the team managed just two yards rushing on 13 attempts in the game.

Jaxon, of SB Nation's Cat Scratch Reader, felt that the Panthers fight to take the "next step" as a franchise took a major hit after Sunday's loss.

The Panthers road to respectability just got a lot rougher as they lost the one game of the first five they felt they had the best chance to win. Unlike last season when the Panthers toasted the Bucs the Panthers looked terrible in all phases of the game at some point in the game. The Bucs on the other hand didn't put up a lot of points but they were able to run the ball well enough and they got pressure on Newton, which the Panthers were unable to do.

The offensive line has to be the biggest disappointment as they got abused all day. Rookie LG Amini Silatolu seemed to stand out the most as Gerald McCoy ran over him constantly. The running game was seriously non-existent as the Panthers only ran for...check this out: 10 total yards. Yes, I said that right...10 total yards FOR THE ENTIRE GAME!

Jaxon was also disappointed in Cam Newton's game, as the second-year quarterback struggled with his decision-making at times that contributed to the costly turnovers.

For more on the Panthers please visit Cat Scratch Reader, and and stay on this storystream for your NFL updates today.