Buccaneers scuttle Panthers, 27-3

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jon Gruden insisted he never lost faith in Jeff Garcia. The coach just wanted the benched quarterback to revert to the player he was for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a year ago.

Garcia led the Bucs to the playoffs in 2007, but lost his starting job last month after missing most of training camp with a calf injury and playing poorly in a season-opening loss at New Orleans.

Instead of sulking, Garcia focused on getting healthy.

He ran plays for the scout team in practice and remained on the field afterward for extra work. He also pushed aside the disappointment of not receiving a contract extension and Gruden’s decision to pursue Brett Favre when the former Green Bay quarterback came out of retirement.

All of it paid off Sunday when he filled in for injured Brian Griese and led the Bucs to a 27-3 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

“It was tough, but it kept me involved,” Garcia said of running the scout team. “

It allowed me to stay in the game and help the team. That’s the approach I had to take. I wasn’t going to be that guy that was going to create negative energy.”

Starting because Griese hurt his right elbow and shoulder the previous week, Garcia completed 15 of 20 passes for 173 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions to state his case for regaining his job.

Griese is 3-1 as a starter this year, but he’s thrown six interceptions against four TD passes.

“Everyone’s got their opinion. We did what we thought what was right,” Gruden said of the QB situation. “Jeff is a great quarterback and we believe in him. I think he showed us his mobility and that he can throw the ball and work the pocket. He’s a guy who’s a creative player and he’s won four or five games in a row against Carolina and that’s a great accomplishment.”

The coach said the 38-year-old will start next week against Seattle, noting that Griese still isn’t able to throw.

“We’ve got a lot of respect for our quarterbacks and realize its a hard game to play when you’re not healthy,” Gruden said.

Sunday’s victory, Tampa Bay’s first at home against the division rival Panthers since 2002, enabled the Bucs (4-2) to pull into a first-place tie in the NFC South with Carolina (4-2), which sputtered a week after routing Kansas City 34-0.

The Panthers fell behind 14-0 early, with Geno Hayes blocking a punt and returning it 22 yards for a score and Garcia throwing a 2-yard TD pass to Alex Smith. Matt Bryant kicked two field goals and Earnest Graham’s 1-yard scoring run made it 27-3 early in the fourth quarter.

The defense did its job, too, intercepting Bucs nemesis Jake Delhomme three times, setting up a touchdown and stopping two other promising drives.

The Carolina quarterback entered the game 7-1 against Tampa Bay, including 4-0 at Raymond James Stadium, where the Panthers had not lost in five trips since 2002 — the year the NFC South was formed.

“It was pretty much pathetic,” Delhomme said. “Let’s be honest. It didn’t start out good and, obviously, it didn’t get any better.”

All three of Tampa Bay’s interceptions came on passes that glanced off Delhomme’s intended targets.

But turnovers and the blocked punt weren’t the only obstacles for the Panthers.

Delhomme also hurt their chances when he underthrew a wide open Steve Smith on a 48-yard completion that easily could have gone for a 72-yard scoring pass.

“That’s kind of how our day went,” Carolina coach John Fox said.

As it was, Smith made a nice adjustment and caught the ball as he was falling to the ground, where Jackson touched him down at the Tampa Bay 24. The Panthers eventually settled for John Kasay’s 20-yard field goal after Jonathan Stewart lost a yard on second-and-goal from the 1 and Delhomme’s third-down pass was broken up in the end zone.

Delhomme was 20 of 39 for 242 yards.

Smith had six catches for 112 yards, however the Bucs limited DeAngelo Williams to 27 yards rushing on 11 carries.

“It’s a letdown for us,” Smith said. “You can’t get away from that.”

Notes: Smith has five 100-yard games in his past seven outings against Tampa Bay. ... Garcia has won five consecutive starts against Carolina, including two for the Bucs. ... Warrick Dunn ran for 115 yards on 22 carries as the Panthers allowed a 100-yard rusher for the first time this season.