Welcome to a NEW post-game column, where I’ll take a look at the moment the game turned either in favor or against the Buccaneers. This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive look at all the reasons the Bucs won or lost, but instead the singular moment where things went north or south for the team.

Setting The Stage

After a Panthers touchdown cut the Bucs lead to 21-14, Tampa Bay quickly gave the ball back to Carolina after a drop by Justin Watson on third down. The Bucs defense had surrendered touchdowns on their last two drives, and began the Turning Point drive getting gashed again.

On first down Teddy Bridgewater hit Robby Anderson for 39 yards on a blown coverage, setting the Panthers up near midfield with 11:52 remaining in the game.

The Turning Point

After the splash play, all the momentum seemed to be moving against the Bucs. Will Gholston stemmed the tide momentarily, dropping Bridgewater for a loss of seven to put the Panthers in a 2nd-and-17 situation from their own 44.

After offsetting penalties re-set second down, Bridgewater tried to force a dig route into wide receiver D.J. Moore, but Carlton Davis was all over it for a game-changing interception.

Moore didn’t push his route vertical enough before his break, allowing Davis to jump the pattern as more broke inside. Bridgewater’s pass was a little behind Moore, largely due to the pressure from Gholston once again. Davis’ catch was made even more incredible due to the fact that he had to play through Moore’s hands at the catch point, somehow corralling an off-target ball.

“The interception was a play that they ran earlier on in the game,” Davis said after the game. “I actually got beat on it over the middle, and when they did the same motion and it was the same formation, I just kind of knew it was coming, I thought it would come and I made a play.”

The Bucs offense could have really slammed the door on the following drive, but LeSean McCoy’s drop in the back of the end zone kept it cracked. Still, a ten-point 24-14 lead with just over six minutes remaining in the game put the Panthers’ offense in an unenviable position without much splash play ability.

A week after failing to force a turnover, the Bucs forced four of them on Sunday, all of which were huge in overcoming a seesaw offense and occasional defensive lapses to improve to 1-1 on the season. If the defense can continue to be opportunistic and the offense can find some consistency, big things could be in store for the Bucs this season.