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Bucs-Panthers: Grading Tampa Bay’s 42-28 loss at Carolina

 
Published Nov. 4, 2018|Updated Nov. 5, 2018

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hey, nothing wrong with being a season-is-half-full kind of fan. Even though the Bucs have started 3-5 — or worse — the last three seasons, even though they've lost three of four, let's begin with the good stuff from Tampa Bay's 42-28 drubbing at the hands of Carolina:

Hump Day

Adam Humphries played his college football just a few miles away from Bank of America Stadium at Clemson. So the homecoming was a good one for Humphries, at least. With the Panthers putting a lot of attention on Mike Evans, Humphries caught eight passes in as many targets for 82 yards and two touchdowns. His 30-yard scoring pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick with 14:24 remaining in the game left the Bucs trailing 35-28.

"It's fun. I know it's on TV and I know it's watched where I'm from and all that and it's fun to play in front of friends and family and good to have a good personal game today.''

Grade: A-minus.

The fake punt

When nothing is going right, you may want to try and chance your luck. That's what Dirk Koetter was doing when, down 28-7 in the second quarter, he ordered a fake punt on fourth and 9 from the Tampa Bay 26-yard line.

Unfortunately, the intended receiver, Bucs tight end Alan Cross, was well covered and slipped on the play. The pass by punter Bryan Anger wasn't horrible. It spiraled in the general direction of Cross. But nobody will confuse Anger with an NFL quarterback. When the pass fell incomplete, the scoring drive was a layup for the Panthers. They were in the end zone in five plays, with tight end Greg Olsen making a circus-like one-handed catch of a 17-yard pass from Newton.

"We felt like since we haven't been getting any turnovers, we needed to try and steal a possession, the way Carolina was playing'' Koetter said. "It was there. We had great protection, but that's the risk you take when you try a fake punt like that.''

Grade: D.

Captain (Near) Comeback

Fitzpatrick is a closer. He seems better out of the bullpen. He throws strikes late in games. But the Bucs needed a fast start and he didn't give it to them. Fitzpatrick seemed to be fixated on getting the ball to Mike Evans. First play of the game, he underthrew him on a deep pass. Then he sailed a couple high. Six targets, no catches for Evans in the first half, including a pass that was intercepted and returned to the Tampa Bay 10 by safety Eric Reid.

Fitzpatrick threw four touchdown passes for the fourth time this season, but it wasn't nearly enough. He got the Bucs to within a TD in the fourth quarter. That earned him a start vs. the Redskins.

Grade: C-minus.

Rookie madness

Carlton Davis is going to be a good NFL player. He has all the tools. He just doesn't know which one to use at the right time.

Davis had an incredibly frustrating day. He had Christian McCaffrey hurdle him on one play. He missed a tackle on a double reverse on the next. He made a big fourth-down stop. Then he celebrated too much in the face of the Panthers receiver and drew a taunting penalty.

Davis is emblematic of the Bucs problems. Rookies are inconsistent. The Bucs play three in the secondary. The Bucs are inconsistent. It's not a mystery why.

Grade: C-minus.

Here’s to the kicker

It's easy to rap Bucs kicker Chandler Catanzaro after his four missed extra points this season and a very memorable missed 40-yard field goal attempt at the end of regulation against the Browns, a game he won in OT with a 59-yard bomb.

But at least Catanzaro was accurate Sunday, making all four of his extra points and consistently kicking the ball out of the end zone on kickoffs.

Grade: A-minus.

Contact Rick Stroud at rstroud@tampabay.com. Follow @NFLStroud