Published: Sunday, Dec. 06, 2009 / Updated: Sunday, Dec. 06, 2009 05:55 PM

Panthers slide by 1-11 Bucs

CHARLOTTE -- It wasn’t much to look at.

In fact, it wasn’t much at all.

At the end of the day, the Carolina Panthers 16-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wasn’t much more than a win over a 1-11 team going nowhere.

Then again, when the Panthers seemed headed the same direction, they’ll take what they can get.

“I think it’s easier to call it ‘Panther football,’ when we win,” Panthers coach John Fox said. “We’ve won a lot of games around here, as many as most people in the NFC over the last seven-and-a-half years.

“I think it feels a lot better today because we won. It was a great effort on those players’ part. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to enjoy it.”

That chance won’t last long, because Sunday was the last easy one on the schedule. Starting with next week’s trip to New England, things toughen considerably (Minnesota, New York Giants, New Orleans), so the chance to savor won’t be long.

But the Panthers did enough right Sunday to beat a bad team.

Quarterback Matt Moore, making his first start since 2007, kept from making too many of the big mistakes. He finished 14-of-20 for 161 yards and an interception, with a 66-yard completion to Steve Smith the only real downfield throw of the day (nothing else longer than 15 yards).

“I had to come into this thing, and I had to be right,” Moore said. “Not perfect, but I had to be right.”

They were able to withstand that thanks to a good-enough running game (157 yards without DeAngelo Williams), and a defense which was ridiculously stingy.

The Buccaneers moved to the Panthers 25 or closer eight times, and got two field goals out of it.

Rookie quarterback Josh Freeman threw five interceptions (two to linebacker Jon Beason) and the Bucs faltered despite outgaining the Panthers 469 yards to 309.

“I thought as a defense, we played awesome,” defensive tackle Damione Lewis said, pointing to the “bend, don’t break,” style of coordinator Ron Meeks.