Buccaneers vs. Panthers 2013, Week 13: Carolina crushes Tampa, wins 8th straight

This was a definitive moment that seemed to break Tampa Bay. Mike Glennon was no longer poised in the pocket, and as soon as they were forced to play from behind things went bad. The rookie quarterback had a costly fumble inside the red zone, and followed it up with an interception that allowed Carolina to put together a series of long scoring drives.

Newton was the biggest factor in the game. He threw two bad interceptions, but more than made up for it with 331 all-purpose yards and a total of three touchdowns. Newton proved dangerous through the air and on the ground, with head coach Ron Rivera continuing to rely on his quarterback in short yardage running situations.

Revis was in prime position to intercept a Cam Newton pass when he dove for the ball and fell hard on the field. The defensive back was unable to hold onto the football, and immediately rolled onto his back where he was evaluated by trainers for some time. It was announced he went to the locker room, but there is no further update at this time.

Newton quickly found his top receiver with Revis out, picking up a 17-yard gain on an easy completion. Tampa Bay prepared to play without their top corner, practicing without him earlier in the week while Revis recovered from a groin injury.

Jerry Richardson is an all-around great humanitarian and lover of Charlotte-area tax-payer money, but he could use a lesson in sportsmanship.

The Panthers are up 24-6 in the third quarter, and while Cam Newton is making his fantasy owners very, very happy, he’s also making his team owner very, very sleepy.

Straight-laced Ron Rivera decided to let his hair down in 2013. Almost losing his job woke something in the third-year head coach, causing him to take risks on fourth-and-short. Now he’s known as “Riverboat Ron,” the gambling, fun-loving boat captain. Ron wants you to call him something else, however -- because, frankly it’s all a bit childish.

Here are some other nicknames Ron wants to dispel.

In my opinion, throwing the ball is an important football skill for quarterbacks to have when trying to get the ball to their wide receivers. By throwing the ball through the air, the ball travels more quickly than if you ran over and gave them the ball. Therefore, it is an important thing for quarterbacks to be good at.

Mike Glennon had some issues trying to throw the ball.

The seventh-year cornerback has just two interceptions on the season, along with seven passes defended, in his first season with Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have recovered from a disastrous 0-8 start to win their last three games by a combined nine points, with Revis tasked to take on the top receiver for each team. It’s expected that Revis will be matched up with Panthers receiver Smith on Sunday.

• NFL Week 13 expert picks | 3 teams can clinch playoff spot

The veteran Stewart has played in just four games since returning from injury on Nov. 3, gaining 125 yards on 33 carries with no fumbles while being forced to split time with Williams and the running threat of quarterback Cam Newton. Williams, who has played in every game this season, has 610 yards on 151 carries with two touchdowns.

Tolbert, who is the team’s best goalline rushing threat, is also expected to play and could see his number of carries rise as well. The veteran fullback has 253 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 69 carries this season, along with 104 yards and two touchdowns on 16 receptions

Game Date/Time and Location: Sunday, Dec. 1, 1 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.

TV schedule and distribution map: Fox; The506.com

The big question surrounding this team for the remainder of the campaign is whether Glennon deserves to be the franchise quarterback going forward. It’s obvious there is talent in the rookie, but how much stock does Tampa Bay put into its third-round pick? The Buccaneers are going to have a high pick in a loaded class.

Over at Bucs Nation, there is plenty of discussion about the future of Mike Glennon:

Johnson has amassed 23 tackles, 8.5 sacks and one forced fumble in 10 games this season. The game on Sunday could determine the lead of the NFC South. A Carolina win paired with a New Orleans loss to Seattle would flip the top of the division.

• NFL Week 13 expert picks | 3 teams can clinch playoff spot

Schiano’s Buccaneers began the season 0-8, with locker room strife surrounding Josh Freeman’s release that seemed to be largely of Schiano’s own creation. Rivera apparently believes in Schiano, however. When asked what advice he would give Schiano, Rivera responded “stay the course,” according to Pewter Report.

The Buccaneers are on an upswing, having won three straight coming off their 0-8 start. Rivera’s Panthers have gone on even more impressive win streaks, winning four straight after a 3-9 start in 2012, and seven straight after a 1-3 start in 2013. Both men have opportunities to get their momentum rolling even faster with a win Sunday. For Schiano, winning means a chance to keep his job, as it once did for Rivera.

• NFL Week 13 expert picks | 3 teams can clinch playoff spot

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Regardless, Carolina is a heavy favorite to win this one, as expected. The Panthers opened as 10.5-point favorites, though the line did narrow on most books, according to OddShark. At midweek, they could be had favored by as little as 8 points or as high as 9.5 points.

The fact that this is a divisional matchup could be the cause of the narrowing line. Tampa Bay is not a very good team, but the Panthers have looked beatable at times, and it’s always harder to secure the second win over the divisional rival than the first.

The Panthers are an 8.5-point favorite at home. For CBS Sports’ panel, six of the eight think that is a too big of a margin. However, when picking straight up, the panel completely got behind the Panthers. For Yahoo! Sports, its panel of two is going all-in on Carolina as well.

For SB Nation, the six experts are also all on the same page. The six analysts all went with the Panthers to continue their streak and end the Buccaneers’ hopes for a fourth straight win.