Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5 Lessons learned vs. Panthers in Week 2
4. Matt Gay bounced back nicely from his first missed field goal
After being perfect in Week 1 against San Francisco, rookie fifth-round pick Matt Gay finally missed his first kick against the Panthers. It was a 42-yard attempt that sailed just to the right. It definitely had the length, just not the accuracy.
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But at the end of the day, that’s okay. What’s more important is how he responded to it. When his number was called again in the fourth quarter to extend the Bucs’ lead to six, he nailed the 32-yard attempt. As long as he can continue to rebound strongly from those eventual misses, the Bucs may finally have a kicker who can break the Matt Bryant Curse.
3. Hargreaves and the secondary were marvelous
Although Carolina quarterback Cam Newton threw for over 300 yards and didn’t throw a pick, he never got into a groove. The Panthers had a few chunk plays, most notably to tight end Greg Olsen (who had over 100 yards receiving), but the secondary mostly kept everyone in check. Carolina’s No. 1 receiver, D.J Moore, was held under 100 yards despite having nine catches. Tampa Bay’s defensive backs kept the Panthers’ yards after catch to a minimum.
Vernon Hargreaves III led the team with 12 tackles, including 11 solo. His final stop was the most crucial though. On fourth-and-1 at the Tampa Bay two, he forced Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey out of bounds short of the first down, leading to a Carolina turnover on downs.
He was matched up with Moore the majority of the night, keeping him in check. Cornerback Carlton Davis chipped in seven tackles and two passes defended, and safety Jordan Whitehead also had a good night with six tackles and a pass defended.