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 Anderson came through, and the Panthers defense withstood a late
Tampa Bay Buccaneers comeback and held on for a 20-14 win at Raymond
James Stadium.
Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Newton, a two-time Pro-Bowl QB, tried
to talk his way into the game Saturday night, and he expects Newton
to be ready to play next week.
But Anderson fared just fine in his first start since Dec. 5, 2010,
completing 24 of 34 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns.
"I haven't been out there in four years," Anderson said. "So to play
a solid football game and get a win was big for me."
The Bucs (0-1) watched their offense sputter and stall for most of
the afternoon before coming to life in the final quarter of their
first game under head coach Lovie Smith.
Quarterback Josh McCown finished 22-for-35 with 183 yards, two
touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. Early on, the announced home
crowd of 62,442 booed a sluggish offense that managed only two first
downs and 84 total yards in the first half.
Tampa Bay scored 14 straight after falling behind 17-0. But it was
too little, too late.
"We got ourselves in a hole the first half," Smith said. "We didn't
do many things right. ... Overall, we didn't play well enough to
win."
The Panthers (1-0) struck first, marching down the field with a
15-play, 69-yard scoring drive in the second quarter. Anderson
converted on 4th-and-inches, setting up a 5-yard touchdown pass to
wide-open tight end Greg Olsen with 7:59 left in the first half.
It was Anderson's first touchdown pass since Nov. 21, 2010, capping
off a drive in which he went 5-for-6 for 56 yards, including 3-for-3
on third down.
The Panthers took a 10-0 lead in the final seconds of the first half
on Graham Gano's 28-yard field goal.
Late in the third quarter, McCown recovered his own fumble but
rushed an errant pass that slipped out of his hand and was easily
intercepted by Panthers safety Roman Harper.
"It's going to get better," McCown said of Tampa Bay's offense. "It
has to get better, period."
Four plays later, Anderson put the Panthers ahead by 17 with a
touchdown strike to rookie receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who made a
highlight-reel grab to cap off his six-catch, 92-yard debut.
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The Bucs got on the board with 7:23 left in the game, when McCown
connected with receiver Chris Owusu in the corner of the end zone for a
19-yard touchdown pass.
McCown marched the Bucs down the field again, punctuating a nine-play,
61-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to running back Bobby Rainey
just before the two-minute warning.
Tampa Bay got the ball back with a three-point deficit in the final
minutes, starting a drive on its own 32-yard line with 1:36 on the
clock.
But linebacker Luke Kuechly, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the
Year, forced Rainey to fumble the ball two plays later, and cornerback
Bene Benwikere recovered Rainey's fumble to set up Gano's 33-yard field
goal with 23 seconds remaining.
"We're able to make plays at the end of the game, get off the field and
rally around each other," Kuechly said. "That's the most important
part."
NOTES: Buccaneers LG Logan Mankins, acquired in a preseason trade with
the Patriots, left the game due to a knee injury midway through the
second quarter and did not return. ... Bucs CB Mike Jenkins, who
committed pass interference on WR Kelvin Benjamin's touchdown, left the
game in the fourth quarter due to a shoulder injury and did not return.
... With QB Cam Newton sidelined, Joe Webb was listed as the Panthers'
backup quarterback. ... The Panthers won their season opener for the
first time since 2008. ... Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford,
who underwent an unspecified medical procedure in August, was in the
coaches' box but didn't call the Bucs' plays. ... Before the game, the
Buccaneers aired a video tribute honoring the late Malcolm Glazer, their
former owner who died May 28.
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Anderson
leads Panthers to win over Buccaneers
