Did the Panthers truly take the field against the Bucs?

The Panthers did not lose against the Tampa Bay Bucs this Sunday. Sure the score would tell you otherwise, but the team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played against were not the Panthers we have know and love. They seemed to be someone else, like a group of thieves that had stolen their jerseys and had decided to the game in their stead.

Jake Delhomme threw for almost 250 yards and three interceptions, all three of them tipped off the hands of receivers into the eager chests of hungry defenders, while the running tandem of Williams and Stewie managed only 39 yards on 19 carries. The defense finished with 0 sacks, no forced fumbles, no interceptions, and nothing to get excited about for the whole game. Add all of this onto a horrible punting game that included a punt that was returned for a touchdown, and you have one of those games that make you want to turn off the television and throw the remote across the room.

The only bright spot on the Panthers this week was that they finally cut down on the penalties, incurring only 4 for 16 yards. That's a good thing, and quite frankly the only good thing that happened today. Last week we saw the Panthers win as a team, managing the ball well on offense, defense, and special teams and managing to come up with their first shutout since 2006 against the St. Louis Rams. This week we saw what happens when the Panthers lose as a team, unable to do anything right on all 3 sides of the ball. Mark this day down guys, a game cannot hardly go worse than this.

Next week the Panthers go up against Sean Peytan's west coast offense that ranks 1st in the league in passing yards against a 4-3 Panther defense that ranks 3rd in defending the pass. Of course, the key to winning this game is to stop Drew Brees and if the Panthers can do that, then they shall win this game. When you turn on the television next week, I expect to see the Panthers storm the field ready to take back the honor they lost on this day.

As for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: We shall have our revenge.

-Revshawn