Cam Newton struggles in Panthers loss to Buccaneers

Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton completed fewer than half of his passes and failed to throw a touchdown in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Thursday night.

Newton completed 24 of 50 attempts in the 20-14 loss at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. The Panthers quarterback posted a 69.1 quarterback rating, while Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston completed 16 of 25 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown.

"Through my lens, it's hard to look defensive guys in the eyes after a game like this," Newton told reporters. "Offensively we didn't hold up our end of the bargain. That's the obvious. We just didn't hold up our end.

"All fingers are just pointing back to me specifically and the offense."

Tampa Bay limited Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey to 37 rushing yards and 16 receiving yards in the victory. Panthers tight end Greg Olsen received for 100 yards and six catches in the loss. Wideout Chris Godwin hauled in a game-high eight catches for 121 yards and a score for the Buccaneers. The NFC South matchup had a 26-minute weather delay in the first quarter.

"To come here and win is a hard thing to do so we are really pleased," Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said.

The Panthers took a 3-0 lead with 2:56 remaining in the first quarter after a 32-yard field goal from Joey Slye. The Panthers kicker made another attempt in the second quarter, splitting the uprights from 37 yards out.

Tampa Bay answered with a five-play, 72-yard touchdown drive with 1:25 remaining in the first half. Godwin capped the drive by catching a 20-yard touchdown pass from Winston. Slye hit his third field goal with three seconds remaining in the first half, cutting the Panthers' deficit to 10-9.

Both teams exchanged punts to start the second half. Slye gave Carolina a 12-10 lead with a 51-yard field goal on the Panthers' second drive of the half. The Buccaneers answered with a 7-play, 60-yard scoring drive to retake the lead. Buccaneers running back Peyton Barber finished the drive with a 16-yard rushing touchdown.

Bucs kicker Matt Gay hit a 32-yard field goal with 2:30 remaining for the final points of the game.

Next, Tampa Bay will host the New York Giants and the Panthers travel to face the Arizona Cardinals. Both games kick off Sept. 22 at 4:05 p.m. EDT.