Defense shines in Buccaneers primetime win over Panthers

After a disappointing week one loss, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rebounded for a victory over the Carolina Panthers where the defense led the way.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won their first game of the 2019 campaign with their 20-14 defeat of division rivals the Carolina Panthers on primetime football last night. As former Buccaneers’ defensive tackle Gerald McCoy went against his former team for the first time in his career, he once again came out on the losing side.

While the offense still has some kinks to work out and did not look all too impressive, they still managed to score two touchdowns, one through the air and the other on the ground. Offensively, quarterback Jameis Winston showed signs of improvement, completing 16 of his 25 passes for 208 yards and a score; more importantly, he did not turn the ball over.

On the ground, Peyton Barber led the way for the Buccaneers, rambling on for 82 yards on 23 carries. While he failed to eclipse the four yard per carry mark or the 100 yard mark, Barber did make his way into the endzone on a 16 yard run in the third quarter. After seeing the most touches a week ago, Ronald Jones saw four carries for nine yards in last night’s action against the Panthers.

Chris Godwin has continued his hot start to the season, now scoring in both games this year; this time, Winston hit Godwin on a 20 yard strike as the first quarter was winding down. Godwin finished with a team high eight catches for 121 yards and a touchdown for the pewter and red. Mike Evans recorded just four catches for 61 yards, while tight end O.J. Howard failed to record a catch.