4 instant takeaways from Panthers’ Week 2 loss at the Bucs

What are some of the big things we took away from the Carolina Panthers’ defeat at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2?

The Carolina Panthers are now sitting at 0-2 following their 31-17 loss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2.

This was a contest of two halves for the Carolina Panthers, who started sluggishly and fell behind 21-0 at the break. Despite a much-improved performance in the second period, they simply left themselves too much to do and now find themselves wondering just where that elusive first victory is going to come from.

As was the case during their Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, there was some good and plenty of bad. Some of the coaching decisions left a lot to be desired early on. And there does appear to still be some issues regarding timing and communication on the field.

This was a game where turnovers proceed crucial. The Bucs didn’t exactly set the world alight in Tom Brady’s home debut and a better team with more going for it would probably have come away with the win.

Simply put, that is not where the Panthers are at this particular juncture. Preseason projections seem spot on if their first two outings are any indication and there is much work to be done in order to pick up a victory at the earliest possible opportunity.

Let’s examine four instant takeaways we took from Carolina’s defeat at Raymond James Stadium.