Carolina Panthers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Match Player Stats On Sep 07, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 7, 2014

Panthers 20, Buccaneers 14: Derek Anderson threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns in place of an inactive Cam Newton and visiting Carolina halted a five-game losing streak in season openers.

With Newton (cracked ribs) missing the first game of his career, Anderson made his first start since 2010 and finished 24-of-34, connecting on scoring passes to tight end Greg Olsen (eight catches, 83 yards) and rookie Kelvin Benjamin (six catches, 92 yards) for the reigning NFC South champions. D'Angelo Williams rushed for 72 yards and the Panthers (1-0) registered three sacks and pitched a shutout for the first 3 1/2 quarters.

Josh McCown had a wobbly debut with Tampa Bay (0-1) before tossing a pair of fourth-quarter scoring passes to Chris Owusu and Bobby Rainey to cut a 17-point deficit to three with 2:06 to play. McCown completed 22-of-35 for 183 yards and two interceptions while Doug Martin was held to nine yards on nine carries in his first game since suffering a season-ending labrum tear in 2013.

Anderson hit 14 of his first 16 passes and guided a nine-minute drive capped by a 5-yard pass to Olsen to open the scoring with 7:59 left in the second quarter. Graham Gano kicked 28-yard field goal on the final play of the half for a 10-0 lead for Carolina, which limited Tampa Bay to two first downs and 84 yards in the first 30 minutes.

Panthers safety Roman Harper picked off McCown to set up Anderson's 26-yard strike to Benjamin on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 17-0 edge. McCown responded by finding Owusu for 19 yards with 7:23 to play before capping a 61-yard march with a 6-yard flip to Rainey to make it 17-14 with 2:06 to play, but Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly stemmed the comeback, forcing a fumbled by Rainey that was recovered by Bene Benwikere.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Anderson attempted only four passes over the past three seasons with Carolina and had 19 touchdowns and 29 interceptions since throwing 29 scoring passes for Cleveland in 2007. ... Buccaneers Pro Bowl LG Logan Mankins, acquired from New England in the preseason, left in the second quarter with a left knee injury, Martin suffered an undisclosed injury to his lower left leg and CB Mike Jenkins also exited the game with a shoulder injury. ... While Benjamin had a stellar performance in his NFL debut, fellow rookie WR Mike Evans - drafted No. 7 overall by the Bucs - finished with five receptions for 37 yards.