The Buccaneers defense played a huge role in Tampa success this season, and it showed in Sunday’s game against the Panthers. Tampa forced three turnovers, and if it weren’t for the blind eyes of the refs, it would have been more.
The Buccaneers defense picked off Cam Newton three times, with the veteran corner Brent Grimes returning one for a 31-yard touchdown. The Tandy Man proves again that he can by coming up with two interceptions and Chris Conte was completely robbed of his interception.
Panthers kicker Graham Gano missed just about every FG he attempted, and although he had an injury in his plant foot, believes that the Buccaneers scoreboards had something to do with a couple of his misses. He and Panthers head coach Ron Rivera are calling it “Bush League*.”
When the dust settled, Sunday, Tampa emerged 9-7 and earning their first winning season since 2010. A postseason would have been nice, but Rome wasn’t built in a day, so it won’t happen overnight. This is one of those times that you can truly say, “Next year!”
*not of the highest quality or sophistication; second-rate.
