Mission: Carolina Panthers

The Bucs return to division play this week, facing the surprisingly tough Carolina Panthers. The Panthers are coming off of a thrashing of the Kansas City Chiefs, while the Bucs are coming off of a tough loss to Denver. The Panthers are a balanced team, making this a difficult test for the Bucs. While they were disappointing last season, the team is now relatively injury-free, and are starting to look like the team that went to the Super Bowl a few seasons ago. While the Panthers are 4-1, they have had the luxury of facing weaker teams, while Tampa has had a tough schedule to date.

The Panthers aren’t flashy, but they get the job done behind quarterback Jake Delhomme. Behind Delhomme, the Panthers are ranked 16th in the league in points per game, and are 15th in the league in passing yards per game, averaging a little over 200 yards a game. Despite that, Delhomme still has thrown for over 1,000 yards, and is sitting pretty with a 90.6 quarterback rating. The Panthers have a dynamic running game, led by DeAngelo Williams, and complimented by rookie standout Jonathan Stewart. Even though they are 11th in rushing yards per game, the running backs have been a huge part of the Panthers success. The two are responsible for 7 total touchdowns. Delhomme’s passing game is so potent because of veteran receivers Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad. The offense isn’t Carolina’s only weapon. They also have a defense that is ranked 3rd in the league in points allowed per game, 4th in total yards allowed, and 3rd in passing yards allowed. The defense is led by Jon Beason, who leads the team with 39 tackles, and has 1 interception and 1 forced fumble.

Key Matchup:
Jeff Garcia vs. Panthers Defense
The Panthers defense is ranked 3rd in the league in passing yards, allowing only 156 passing yards per game. They have held a high-powered San Diego offense in check. They haven’t allowed over 25 points in a game. Their defense hasn’t allowed a team to throw for even 220 yards this season. The most against them so far? A 217-yard performance by Philip Rivers in Week 1. With a defense ranked 4th in the league, the Panthers defense is one to fear. Not only do they limit passing yards, but they have 10 sacks and 3 interceptions on the season. While they have faced quarterbacks like Kyle Orton, Damon Huard, and rookie Matt Ryan, the defense is for real. They put a stop to the passing games of Philip Rivers and veteran Gus Frerotte, even though he beat them. Even though they haven’t faced “big-game” quarterbacks, this defense is for real. The Bucs can’t sleep against them.
The Bucs are going to look different this week. Jeff Garcia will get his first start since Week 1. Things won’t be easy for Garcia. In two games this season, Garcia has averaged 157 passing yards per game. Last season, Garcia averaged almost 188 yards per game. While Garcia got some playing time last week, it is unknown whether or not he is rusty. In his career against Carolina, Garcia has thrown for over 2,000 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He has been sacked only 12 times, and fumbled only twice. Even though he hasn’t played two full games, Garcia has a better completion percentage (63.8) than Brian Griese (57.1), and a better passer rating.

The Bucs defense continues to improve, as does the offense. Led by Brian Griese, the Bucs rank 7th in the league in total yards per game, and have a passing game ranked 12th in the league. However, they are ranked 7th in total first downs, 4th in first downs passing, 3rd in average yards per passing play, 1st in total offensive plays, and 1st in total passing plays. Those numbers, however, are behind the arm of Brian Griese. With Griese out this week, we may not see the explosion in the passing game. The Bucs will probably rely on their running game, as the Panthers defense is not as good against the run. The Bucs rank 8th in the league in rushing yards a game, and are 3rd in the league in average yards per rushing play. This game will prove to be tough for the 16th ranked defense in the league. While the Bucs are ranked 8th in the league in points allowed, they are 16th in total yards allowed, 14th in rushing yards allowed, and 21st in passing yards allowed. They are ranked 1st in the league when it comes to interceptions, but they didn’t have one last week, and Jake Delhomme has only 2 all season.

This game will be big in determining the NFC South division. While the teams play each other again this year, this will be the first step in figuring out who will win. Because of a tough NFC East, the South may only send one team to the playoffs, and that would be the division champ. The Bucs have to be focused for this game. Even though it is early in the season, a playoff spot may be on the line.