Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers 
LOSS - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14 Carolina Panthers 20
The first game for new Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith was against division rival Carolina Panthers.
A lackluster first three quarters saw the Panthers run out to a 17-0 lead, with Derek Anderson making his first start since 2010 in place of an injured Cam Newton. In the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers rallied, scoring late two touchdowns, and trimming the lead to 17-14 with 2:06 remaining. The Buccaneers defense forced a 3 & Out, and Carolina punted, giving the ball back to the Buccaneers offense with just under two minutes to go. On the first play of the drive, however, Bobby Rainey's catch was fumbled away, and Panthers recovered.
GAMEDAY BRIEF
OFFICALS
- REFEREE: Peter Morelli
- UMPIRE: Darrell Jenkins
- HEAD LINESMAN: Dana McKenzie
- LINE JUDGE: Carl Johnson
- SIDE JUDGE: Rob Vernatchi
- FIELD JUDGE: Buddy Horton
- BACK JUDGE: Dale Shaw
- REPLAY OFFICAL: Tommy Moore
- VIDEO OPERATOR: Not Documented
SCORING
- PANTHERS: 7:59-2Q Olsen 5 pass from Anderson (Gano kick)
- PANTHERS: 0:00-2Q Gano FG28
- PANTHERS: 14:53-4Q Benjamin 26 pass from Anderson (Gano kick)
- BUCCANEERS: 7:23-4Q Owusu 19 pass from McCown (Murray kick)
- BUCCANEERS: 2:06-4Q Rainey 6 pass from McCown (Murray kick)
- PANTHERS: 0:23-4Q Gano FG33
STARTERS OFFENSE
- WR: #83 V. Jackson
- LT: #73 A. Collins
- LG: #70 L. Mankins
- C: #62 E. Dietrich-Smith
- RG: #66 P. Omameh
- RT: #69 D. Dotson
- TE: #82 B. Myers
- WR: #13 M. Evans
- QB: #12 J. McCown
- RB: #22 D. Martin
- FB: #46 J. Lane
STARTERS DEFENSE
- LE: #94 A. Clayborn
- DT: #93 G. McCoy
- DT: #98 C. McDonald
- RE: #90 M. Johnson
- SLB: #52 J. Casillas
- MLB: #59 M. Foster
- WLB: #54 L. David
- CB: #21 A. Verner
- CB: #27 J. Banks
- FS: #38 D. Goldson
- SS: #23 M. Barron
SUBSTITUTIONS
- 7 Murray, 9 Koenen, 10 Herron, 24 Jenkins, 25 James, 29 Johnson, 31 Wright, 37 Tandy, 39 Dixon, 43 Rainey, 48 DePaola, 50 Fletcher, 51 Lansanah, 56 Solomon, 72 Gilkey, 75 Cousins, 80 Owusu, 86 Patton, 87 Seferian-Jenkins, 88 Stocker, 89 Shepard, 96 Means, 97 Spence
DID NOT PLAY
- 8 Glennon
INACTIVE
- 28 Melvin, 30 McDougald, 64 Pamphile, 65 Johnson, 71 Edwards, 91 Bowers, 92 Gholston
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
- BUCCANEERS: Lane 1-54, McCown 3-27, Rainey 4-12, Martin 9-9.
- PANTHERS: Williams 14-72, Stewart 9-20, Tolbert 7-11, Anderson 3-10.
PASSING
- BUCCANEERS: McCown 35-22-183-2-2.
- PANTHERS: Anderson 34-24-230-0-2.
RECIEVING
- BUCCANEERS: Myers 6-41, Evans 5-37, Jackson 4-36, Owusu 2-20, Rainey 2-8, Seferian-Jenkins 1-26, Stocker 1-8, Martin 1-7.
- PANTHERS: Olsen 8-83, Benjamin 6-92, Cotchery 4-32, Stewart 3-17, Tolber 2-6, Avant 1-0.
INTERCEPTIONS
- BUCCANEERS: none
- PANTHERS: Harper 1-3, Cason 1-1.
KICK RETURNS
- BUCCANEERS: Patton 2-52.
- PANTHERS: none
PUNT RETURNS
- BUCCANEERS: Patton 4-56.
- PANTHERS: Brown 3-36.
SACKS
- BUCCANEERS: McCoy 1-9.
- PANTHERS: Edwards 1-9, Kuechly 1-7, Hardy 1-5.
