At the half: Bucs 14, Panthers 7

[Laetitia]

The Panthers and Bucs swapped touchdowns in the second quarter, allowing the Bucs to take a 14-7 halftime lead.

The Panthers showed a pulse on offense, with coach John Fox going for a fourth-and-4 at the Bucs 37 and turning it into a WR Steve Smith touchdown pass.

But then a defense that looked salty at times lost it, allowing the Bucs to match.

Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman should have been sacked twice, by Charles Johnson and Eric Norwood. But when they failed to tackle him, he threw a 40-yard strike to TE Kellen Winslow, which was followed by a 35-yard scoring pass to WR Mike Williams.

It was as bad a two-play stretch of team defense as they've shown, after some encouraging signs moments earlier.

The Panthers seemed determined to run the ball, and RBs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart combined for 15 carries for 81 yards. Good start, but there were still too many missed opportunities, and it's hard to believe they're actually losing.

-- Darin Gantt

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