The Carolina Panthers will be playing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 1:25 pm PST. The Panthers will be visiting the Buccaneers at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Fans can watch the game on FOX or online through the live stream below (free with subscription).
The Bucs enters the 2014 season with changes aimed at improving the team's prospect of the playoffs. Former Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith at the helm. Their front seven include the division's top tackle-linebacker combination - Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David. Corner back Alterranun Verner has been a snare to quarterbacks as he held quarterbacks last season to a 55.3 passer rating, second only to Richard Sherman.
Despite these changes, Tampa is still lacking a solid offensive lineup, which Lovie must address by boosting the quarterback Josh McCown's ability to make the pass plays and touchdowns, after low performances in three preseason games. To address this, Tampa are having rookie receiver Mike Evans and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins and No. 1 wideout Vincent Jackson - all of them are 6-foot-5 - to make the opponent's defense a formidable matchup.
Dimming the prospect of playoff return, the Panthers lost several key players, who had contributed to playoffs last season, but the general manager Dave Gettleman have used the draft to shore up the holes created after wideout Steve Smith left by picking up Florida State Kelvin Benjamin.
From the defense side, Carolina have added rookie defensive end Kony Ealy.
While Panthers have put in place new players, their chances of getting to the playoffs this year depend on how well the team is able to play together with each other and adjust to the changes. This will be the key to how far they advance in the 2014 NFL season.
To catch the game online, you can check out NFL Sunday Ticket or try ProNFL.net. If you want to listen on the radio, the Panthers' broadcast can be listened on WBT 1110 AM and on Panthers Radio Network, and the Buccaneers' broadcast can be listened on 620 WDAE. The game will be on the CBS Television Network with a 1 pm EST kickoff.
