Three takeaways from Buccaneers' road win over Panthers

Alexis Mansanarez

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Three takeaways from Buccaneers' road win over Panthers image

Both teams had something to prove Thursday.

Jameis Winston had to show that he was ready to lead the Buccaneers while Cam Newton had to prove he was ready to return to form as an NFL MVP. Both were coming off forgettable starts but only one was able to turn it around in Week 2.

Winston was able to lead Tampa Bay to a 20-14 win at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

The Bucs' defense helped shut down Newton and company, who had a chance to complete the comeback when they had the ball, trailing by six points, inside the five with time winding down. But a big defensive stop by Tampa Bay sealed the game.

Three takeaways from Buccaneers' road win vs. Panthers

The 'Quarterback Whisperer' finally got to Winston

Bruce Arians is known for his ability to fix quarterbacks. He has helped develop Pro Bowl signal-callers Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck and Carson Palmer. Now, Arians is tasked with turning around Winston's career.

Winston, the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, has underperformed after his Pro Bowl rookie season. Since joining the NFL, he has the most turnovers (79) and interceptions (61)  in the NFL and is tied for the most fumbles lost (18) and his first game of the 2019 season did not look promising. He threw three interceptions while completing just over 55% of his passes in Sunday's 31-17 loss.

Normally, a quick turnaround to a Thursday night game would fatigue most players. But it seemed to do the opposite for a seemingly energized Winston.

He finished the game 16-of-25 passing for 208 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin.

Newton shut down by Bucs defense

Like Winston, Newton needed a big night. Unlike Winston, he was unable to do so against a tough Buccaneers defense.

Now how much was Newton self-sabotaging and how much was the effort of Tampa Bay, which has turned around under the leadership of Todd Bowles, is up for debate but at the end of the night, Newton was sacked three times and had the ball punched out by the Bucs, who then recovered the fumble. He completed 25 of his 51 passes in the loss.

On its own, it could be chalked up to a poor night. But consecutive ineffective games is a troubling sign for the seemingly healthy Newton.

Did the Panthers ruin their playoff chances?

This isn't a first, or second, week overreaction. Now that the Panthers are 0-2, they have a 12% chance of making it to the postseason. The odds — unless they become the 2018 Texans or Seahawks, who made the playoffs despite the dismal start — are not in their favor.

Both of Carolina's losses came at Bank of America Stadium, which isn't ideal considering four of its next five games are on the road. If wins at home are hard to come by with a struggling Newton and Christian McCaffrey, who has yet to get going, then facing the likes of the Texans and Buccaneers (again) on their turf will be a big test for the team.

 

Alexis Mansanarez