Panthers are losing by 21 at halftime. Here’s what’s gone wrong for Carolina vs. Bucs
Editor’s note: This story is a halftime update. If you’re looking for what happened the rest of the Panthers’ game vs. Tampa Bay, click here.
It took all but 11 minutes before the Panthers found themselves down two scores to the Bucs in the first quarter Sunday.
Few things have gone right for the Panthers, except a fumble recovery after a bad handoff exchange between Tom Brady and running back Ronald Jones II.
The Panthers trail the Bucs at halftime 21-0.
Here’s what’s gone wrong:
Turnovers
The Panthers forced a three-and-out on the Bucs’ first possession.
When it was the Panthers’ turn, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater marched all the way to the Bucs 22-yard-line after three perfect throws. But on the next play, Bridgewater air mailed a screen pass to Christian McCaffrey and it was intercepted by Bucs safety Jordan Whitehead.
Brady and the Bucs took advantaged and engineered a 10-play, 78-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead.
On the Panthers’ next drive, Bucs safety Antoine Winfield strip sacked Bridgewater deep in Panthers territory, which was recovered by linebacker Jason Pierre Paul at the Panthers’ 23 yard. On the Bucs’ first play of the next drive, Brady connected with wide receiver Mike Evans for a touchdown.
No pass rush
Brady had all the time in the world to find his receivers. He was not hit and rarely hurried. This is the second consecutive game where the Panthers have struggled to get to the quarterback.
The Panthers had zero sacks against the Raiders. In the Panthers’ defense, they were down two pass rushers. Veteran defensive tackle Kawann Short was out with a foot injury, while rookie defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos was out with a concussion.
Brady was 17 of 23 for 198 yards and a touchdown in the first half. He had a 74% completion percentage.
Secondary can’t keep up with Bucs receivers
It’s hard to put too much of the blame on the Panthers’ secondary. The offense and the defensive line has made it difficult for them. But Evans has dominated his matchups.
He had 5 catches for 91 yards and a touchdown in the first half. One of those catches was a 50-yarder. The 23-yard touchdown was a backdoor fade with Donte Jackson in coverage.
The secondary, as well as the linebackers were also badly fooled on a flea-flicker play that went for 36 yards to wide receiver Justin Watson. The ball was badly underthrown. But in the end it didn’t matter, because the Bucs scored a few plays later anyway.
Bad fourth down play
On fourth-and-2, from the Bucs’ 36-yard line, the Panthers lined up in a punt formation. Instead of snapping it to the punter, JJ Jansen snapped it to Jeremy Chinn.
The play didn’t stand a chance. The Bucs were all over it and Chinn came up a yard short of the first down. The decision to go for it on fourth down was one the Panthers had to make, given the position they were in. But it didn’t work and gave the Bucs good field position. They scored seven plays later to go up 21-0.
This story was originally published September 20, 2020 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Panthers are losing by 21 at halftime. Here’s what’s gone wrong for Carolina vs. Bucs."
