Cam Newton has another dominating game, Thursday night in Tampa, as he led his Carolina Panthers to a crushing victory over the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-13.
The Carolina Panthers get their third straight victory to put them a game over .500 and claim the second spot in the NFC south behind the New Orleans Saints. The Panthers are finally over the .500 mark for the first time since 2008 and have no one to thank but their quarterback Cam Newton who went 23/32 for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns in Thursday’s game over the Bucs.
In their past three victories, Newton has thrown for 667 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions. His play has been phenomenal, and it showed Thursday as he not only passed efficiently but also led the team in rushing with 50 yards and a touchdown. To add to the Cam Newton show, he also become the first player in NFL history to have over 50 passing touchdowns and 25 or more rushing touchdowns over a three season span of their career.
With so much to say about Cam Newton and his emerging Carolina Panthers, it is quite the opposite for 0-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They are one of only two NFL teams who have yet to win this season and have lost 12 of the last 13 games dating back to last year. Even the acquisition of Darrelle Revis has not seemed to be much help to the Bucs as he was quiet in Thursday night’s game
Rookie quarterback, Mike Glennon threw for a not so disappointing 275 yards but had trouble finding his way into the end zone until three minutes left in the game when Tampa finally scored their first touchdown. The Bucs’ running game also struggled, as running back Mike James was their leading rusher with a measly 39 yards and no touchdowns.
Of course comparisons to the winless 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are being made about this years Bucs, and I am sure Tampa fans are eager to end the drought of wins they have been plagued with for the last two seasons. The positive news is that they are in a division with the disappointing 2-4 Falcons and have a good chance at beating their inner division counterparts later on down the road.
As for now, the Buccaneers prepare to take on the 6-1 Seattle Seahawks on the road next week as the Carolina Panthers look to continue their winning streak by playing the Atlanta Falcons at home.
