The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers met in their NFL clash at Raymond James Stadium.
Greg Schiano's side were in dire need of a victory to end their winless start to the season, while the Panthers were looking for their third win in a row.
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton guided his side to their fourth win of the season to move them to 4-3, which left the Buccaneers 0-7 and their campaign effectively over.
Read how all the action unfolded in our commentary below.
Good morning and welcome to the live coverage of the NFL clash between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers.
The Buccaneers are entering must-win territory in their season as they are yet to record a victory in the 2013 campaign.
There is growing pressure on head coach Greg Schiano for their performances along with many off-the-field incidents surrounding the club, including the release of former starting quarterback Josh Freeman.
Carolina were in a similar position to the Buccaneers two weeks ago but they have turned their season around with back-to-back wins over the Minnesota Vikings and the St Louis Rams.
Quarterback Cam Newton has found some form and is looking confident again. Meanwhile, the Panthers' defense is also playing well and are allowing the second least amount of points in the league this season.
Rookie quarterback Mike Glennon has his work cut out for him tonight and he will face a tough task without running back Doug Martin to carry the load, so he may have to win this game on his own.
BUCCANEERS INACTIVES: Martin, Demps, Goldson, Omameh, Nicks, Owusu, Landri
PANTHERS INACTIVES: King, McNutt, Thomas, Smith, Williams, Edwards, Fua
Martin leads the inactives list for the Buccaneers, who are also without starters Dashon Goldson and Carl Nicks. Golson's presence will be missed in the Bucs secondary while they'll also miss the power of Nicks on their offensive line.
Defensive tackle Dwan Edwards is out for Panthers along with starting cornerback Josh Thomas. Other than that they're pretty healthy across the board.
Gano kicks the ball out of the endzone so Glennon will start at his own 20.
The Buccaneers go three and out and it's on their excellent wideout Jackson who drops a pass straight on the money from Glennon on third and four, after Mike James found five tough yards on second down. Koenen's punt is collected at the 30.
Newton gets his side moving after the sides exchange penalties for pass interference and a personal foul. The quarterback evades the slot blitz from Johnson and finds Tolbert for a 10-yard gain on an out pattern.
On third and nine Newton goes deep and finds Smith on a deep dig route for a 21-yard gain as the receiver was wide open over the middle of the field with the Buccaneers in zone defense.
The Panthers move the chains on third and short as Newton keeps the ball himself on a quarterback sneak for one yard after he found his tight end Olsen on second for a four-yard pick up. Newton's offense are picking up yards gradually and keeping third down manageable.
Newton runs for the first down again on third down after making a huge comeback after being dropped for a 12-yard loss on first down when he was sacked by David. He threw a 10-yard pass to Smith before running for 16 on third.
Williams gets a carry and finds plenty of room down the left-hand side of the line and he finds a hole in the defense to get 10 yards on the ground for another set of downs.
TOUCHDOWN PANTHERS!
The Panthers end their massive drive with a touchdown as Newton goes play-action on the goalline and somehow evades the rush and loops the ball to the left-hand side of the endzone where Olsen is wide open to make a simple catch for a one-yard score. An excellent offensive series for Ron Rivera's men.
Gano kicks the ball out of the endzone and Glennon will start at the 20 again.
Glennon does well in the pocket on third down as he evades the rush after a play breaks down, he extends the play long enough for Jackson to get open and he hits him for a 29-yard reception.
The rookie is on a roll as he finds a fellow first year man running back James over the middle of the field on an option and he finds space in the zone to pick up 20 yards to move his side to the Panthers' 30.
The Buccaneers miss two chances to get a first down inside the Panthers' 20 as Crabtree has the ball knocked from his hands by Davis after Glennon throw a beauty down the left-hand sideline. The rookie then overthrew Wright on third with a poor pass, typical first-year struggles. That incompletion forces Lindell into a 47-yard field goal.
FIELD GOAL GOOD!
Lindell knocks the ball through the posts and makes it a four-point game.
Ginn returns Lindell's kickoff back to the 20 where Newton will resume.
Tolbert reels off a huge run on second down for 22 yards to keep the chains moving for his side as they reach their own 46 to end the first quarter.
END OF FIRST QUARTER: Carolina Panthers 7-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Newton finds Ginn on a crossing route and he beats his man in a foot race and picks up a huge chunk of yardage to move his side to the redzone with a 35-yard reception.
TOUCHDOWN PANTHERS!
Williams finds the endzone on a 12-yard run as he is presented with a massive hole over the left-hand side of the defense and he powers through the gap for the score, to make it an 11-point game.
Page returns Gano's kick to the Buccaneers 11.
James finds space through the middle of the defense and he chargers through two tackles for 15 yards to get the chains moving for his side.
SACK! The Bucs' drive comes to an end as Glennon fumbles the snap from Larsen 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage on third and three, and Hardy brings him down for the sack.
FUMBLE!
Ginn fumbles the punt from Koenen and the Buccaneers gather the ball on the Panthers' 20. The play is under review so this could be Panthers ball but there was good hustle from the Tampa Bay special teams.
OVERTURNED!
Ginn is ruled down by contact and the Panthers will have the ball at their 27.
DROPPED! Ginn drops a sure touchdown pass from Newton on first down as he fires deep on a go route and the receiver beats his man in coverage. Newton tries to find Smith on third down but Revis knocks it away, Nortman punts to the 27 where Page takes the fair catch.
Glennon has a crucial throw on third down as he finds Underwood for a 10-yard reception to keep his side's drive alive, once again using his feet to avoid pressure in the pocket.
Glennon keeps the chains moving immediately as he finds Williams over the middle for on a in-cut for a 10-yard again as he beat man coverage.
James shows of his skills again as he finds 11 yards on the ground with carries of seven on first and then four tough yards on second powering through the middle of the line, to earn another set of downs for his side.
Another low snap and fumble from Glennon kill the drive as Larsen launches the ball at his knees and he's forced to jump on it and give up the play to ensure they don't turn the ball over. Lindell will kick a 48-yard field goal.
FIELD GOAL GOOD!
Lindell's kick just has enough on it to go through the posts as it hits the post on it's way in to make it an eight-point game.
Lindell kicks the ball out of the endzone and the Panthers will start on their 20.
Newton hits Ginn on a hitch route and he turns and beats his man to get the first down and a whole lot more on a 17-yard reception to move the chains for his side, and get them in decent field position.
Newton goes long this time for Ginn over the middle of the field down the seam for another 17-yard reception on second down, moving his side into Buccaneers territory. A score here would be be big, give that the Panthers get the ball to start the second half.
SACK! Adams gets to Newton on a slot blitz and brings him down for the sack for a seven yard loss. The quarterback fires to LaFell on third down for a 13-yard gain but Nortman's forced to punt and his kick is caught at the 10 by Page.
Glennon goes downfield on a big throw down the seam and Underwood does well to go up and get the ball above Munnerlyn to pick up a 24-yard reception to move his side to their 40.
SACK! Glennon gets drilled and knocked down for a 10-yard loss by Hardy, which moves the Bucs back to their own 30.
Glennon throws a short completion to Wright to end the half and the home support aren't happy about it as their side trail by eight at the break.
HALF-TIME: Carolina Panthers 14-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Panthers have a comfortable lead at the break as their offense have dominated the game, they've scored on two of their four drives, including one mammoth nine minute series to start the game. Newton has looked in good touch so far, which is a bad omen for Schiano's side.
Tampa have shown promise on offense but they've let themselves down in key moments on third down with bad snaps from center Larsen, which has killed their momentum and turned what could have been seven points into three on two occasions. They'll need to improve on that if they're to avoid going 0-7.
Ginn returns the ball to the 18, where Newton will begin.
Newton gets his side moving with a five-yard completion to LaFell after Williams picked up seven on first down. The Panthers are looking good again.
The Panthers' drive stalls on the next set of downs as Newton can only find a short completion to Barner on third down for two yards needing 12. Nortman's punt is collected by Page but he gets put down at the 17 by Senn.
DROPPED! Williams drops a crucial pass on third down as Glennon hits him right on the numbers but he can't come up with the grab and he takes a hit from Munnerlyn for his troubles as well. Koenen's punt is collected by Ginn, who takes it to the Carolina 47.
Newton gets his side moving straight away with a pass down the seas to Olsen who gets 16 yards on the play to earn his side a first down. The tight end has been a very reliable target for Newton this season and that is his 32nd reception this year.
Newton is short on third down and two after he ran seven on second down, and he chose to run the ball again but this time through the middle but he was stopped by McCoy.
The Panthers go for it on fourth down and they get it. They move left tackle Gross over to the right and Tolbert powers behind him for the one-yard gain to earn his side another set of downs.
Newton runs himself again on second down and he powers over the middle of the line getting behind a block from Smith to get inside the Bucs' 10 with a 19-yard run.
TOUCHDOWN PANTHERS!
On second down and goal the passing breaks down as the Bucs do a good job in coverage but Newton finds a running lane out to the left and he runs into the endzone himself on a six-yard carry.
The Buccaneers will start at the 20.
Glennon finds Dawson on a crossing route over the middle for a nine-yard gain and then James picks up the one yard needed for the first down.
The Buccaneers' drive comes to an end as Charles Johnson brings down Glennon for a six-yard loss on second down and one, and they can't get the seven yards needed on third to get the first down. Koenen punts to the 22 and Ginn takes the fair catch.
The Panthers go three and out as Newton takes a huge loss on second down from a sack from Clayborn and they get some yardage back on third with a screen pass to Williams but not enough on to earn another set of downs.
FUMBLE!
Nortman's punt is fumbled by Page at the Buccaneers' 29 and Jones gathers the ball for the Panthers, who have an excellent chance to end the game right here.
Williams rips off a 10-yard gain immediately over the left-hand side of the line with a good burst of speed to move his side into the redzone.
The quarter ends with the Panthers in striking distance as Newton fires to Brockel for a 12-yard completion to move his side inside the five-yard line.
END OF THIRD QUARTER: Carolina Panthers 21-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
TOUCHDOWN PANTHERS!
This game is getting out of hand as Newton fakes the defense on play-action and he brings them right up to the line before he fires to Tolbert in the flat who goes into the endzone for a three-yard score.
The Bucs will begin at the 17 following a penalty.
Glennon fires over the middle of the field to get his side moving with a 16-yard completion down the seam to Wright to earn his side a first down.
Munnerlyn hands the Buccaneers another first down as he is penalised for a hold on Williams, which is enough to move the chains.
The drive comes to and end in the next set of downs as Glennon throws three straight incompletions as he can't find an open receiver. Koenen punts to the 28 where Ginn calls for the fair catch.
Newton gets his side moving immediately as he fires on play-action to Tolbert again in the flat as he finds eight yards which is enough for the first down after he found two on the ground on first. The running back has had an impressive night.
A false start penalty proves to be a drive killer for the Panthers as they try to kill the clock, they manage to get 12 yards back but it's not enough for the first as Nortman is forced to punt and he pins the Buccaneers at their own 16.
The Buccaneers go for it on fourth down after failing to pick up the 10 yards on the first three downs but Glennon's pass falls incomplete. Their fans are letting them have it and are leaving in their drives. Carolina will take possession at the Buccaneers' 16.
Tampa Bay's defense keep the Panthers out of the endzone and force them into the field goal as Newton's pass to Olsen falls incomplete, while on third he's forced to check down to Smith for a five-yard pick up. Gano will attempt a 29-yard field goal.
FIELD GOAL GOOD!
Gano puts his 29 yarder through the posts and extends his side's lead.
Page returns the ball to the 17 where Glennon will begin.
Glennon fires down the left-hand side to Leonard for 11 yards to move his side upfield with a nice throw and run for the first down.
Glennon fires to Jackson this time on a crossing route and he drives through a couple of tackles to get the first down to move his side to the 41.
Underwood and Leonard get the ball now for the Bucs to get the first down on completions of nine and seven yards respectively to move them into the Panthers half for the first time of the second half.
Glennon hits Jackson down the right-hand side on a curl route this time and he evades a couple of defenders and gets to the 23 before he is brought down by Lester.
The Buccaneers are in the redzone as Glennon fires to Page over the middle of the field for 13 yards. Can they get a touchdown here.
TOUCHDOWN BUCCANEERS!
The Buccaneers get their first touchdown of the night as Glennon gets all the time in the world and he moves around in the pocket before firing to the endzone for Wright for a 10-yard score.
The Buccaneers gather the onside kick as Lindell kicks the ball short and the ball bounces off a Panthers player and Johnson manages to grab the ball at the bottom of the pile at the 41.
The home side get a break as Davis is flagged for unnecessary roughness that moves them to the Panthers' 42 and gives them another set of downs.
A big third down after the two minute on third and five for the Buccaneers to see of they can get anymore points on the board in the game.
Glennon fires over the middle to Jackson and he moves his side to the 22 with a 15-yard pick up on a slant route.
The Buccaneers get a break as the Panthers commit a personal foul on a field goal and gives another set of downs inside the 20.
The Bucs can't punch the ball into the endzone on third down and they go for it on fourth down and Glennon is just forced to throw it away, confirming his side's defeat.
Newton takes two kneel downs and the game is over.
FULL-TIME: Carolina Panthers 31-13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Panthers win their third game in a row and they are really in contention for the playoffs now after a rocky start to the season. Cam Newton is really on his game, which could be huge for their ambitions going into the second half of the season. Mike Tolbert continues to impress on the ground, while their defense was stout once again against a decent receiving corps from the Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers fall to 0-7 and have now lost their last seven home games in a row. Greg Schiano is now under immense pressure and could lose his job very soon. His side were second best all night as the Panthers grounded their defense down while their offense failed to get anything going at all against a good unit. Their season is effectively over.
Thanks for joining our commentary this evening. We'll be back with all the action from the NFL on Sunday. Until then, goodbye.
Written by
Simon Sinclair
Simon Sinclair
