The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used a ball control offense and a stingy opportunistic defense to defeat the Carolina Panthers, 16-10. The Buccaneers dominated the time of possession, keeping Cam Newton watching on the sideline.
Tampa Bay got on the board first with an 80-yard drive that was capped by a six-yard touchdown reception by Mike Williams. The Bucs extended the lead to 13-0 with a couple of field goals before the Panthers finally cashed in with a 22-yard scoring strike from Newton to Brandon Lafell.
The two teams traded field goals in the fourth quarter to make the score 16-10. Carolina elected to kick the ball deep with just over two minutes remaining rather than going for an on-side kick and were unable to get a stop as the Buccaneers converted a couple of first downs to seal the win.
Impact Player -- Ronde Barber:
There was a lot to like about Ronde Barber's first game at safety, as he finished with five total tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and an interception.
Panthers' Running Game Struggles:
Carolina struggled heavily without Jonathan Stewart, finishing with 13 carries for 10 yards total.
Twitter reaction:
If they call that a sack, that's Barber's 28th career sack in his 200th career game. Pretty good for a cornerback.
— Sander Philipse (@Bucs_Nation) September 9, 2012
My name is John Fox, and I approve this message. RT @josephperson: Panthers punting on 4th-and-11 from 42 with 29 seconds left.
— Darin Gantt (@daringantt) September 9, 2012
Ronde Barber with the interception off a tipped pass! How's that for his first game at safety!
— Sander Philipse (@Bucs_Nation) September 9, 2012
Hello Steve Smith
Ahmad Black picks off Cam Newton:
Fantasy stud -- Tampa Bay Defense:
The Tampa Bay defense came up big for fantasy owners on Sunday, holding the Panthers to just 10 points, while registering three sacks and two interceptions.
Next Week's Schedule:
Next up for the Buccaneers is a trip to MetLife Stadium in New York for a matchup with the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. The Panthers will return to Carolina in Week 2 for their home opener against the New Orleans Saints.
Bucs Nation has you covered for all the latest on the Buccaneers while Cat Scratch Reader has all the latest news and analysis on the Panthers.
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