The Carolina Panthers haven't always lived up to expectations over the past few years, but the team seems to have a knack for rising to the occasion whenever the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the schedule. Carolina aims for a sixth consecutive victory at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium when the NFC South rivals clash this Sunday in a key early-season divisional showdown.

The Panthers have won eight of their 10 meetings with the Buccaneers since 2003, including all five encounters held on the sunny shores of western Florida over that span. That includes a 31-23 victory in Tampa during last year's regular-season finale, although the Bucs did sit out a number of starting players for that game after having clinched the NFC South title two weeks earlier.

If recent form is any indication, Carolina appears poised to deal Tampa Bay another dose of misery on Sunday. The Panthers have roared out to a 4-1 record through this season's first five weeks, the franchise's best start since its memorable run to the Super Bowl in 2003, and are coming off the most lopsided win in team history, a 34-0 dismantling of the lowly Kansas City Chiefs that was every bit as dominating as the final score indicated.

Carolina's formidable defense limited the overmatched Chiefs to 127 total yards and a mere 35 on the ground, nearly 100 yards under what Kansas City's rushing attack was averaging heading into the contest. The unit has been instrumental to the Panthers' rise to first place in the division standings, having yielded the third-fewest points and the fourth-fewest yards in the NFL thus far.

The Panthers, whose last two triumphs have come against opponents that combined for only eight wins a year ago, do figure to face a step up in class this week from a Tampa Bay squad that reached the playoffs in 2007 and had been riding a three-game win streak until being edged by one-loss Denver on the road last Sunday.

The 3-2 Buccaneers have managed to stay competitive despite having a revolving door of quarterbacks that began with Jeff Garcia, moved on to Brian Griese, and has now swung back to Garcia. The 38-year-old is expected to return to the starting lineup for Sunday's tilt, after Griese injured his throwing elbow and right shoulder during the club's 16-13 setback to the Broncos in Week 4.

Garcia, who was yanked from his starting role by ever-fickle head coach Jon Gruden after a mediocre showing in the Bucs' season-opening loss at New Orleans, may have been inserted back under center even if Griese were healthy enough to play. The journeyman signal-caller had thrown six interceptions over the two games that preceded last week's defeat, and produced a meager 88 passing yards against the Broncos before being forced to the sidelines in the third quarter.

SERIES HISTORY

Carolina has a 9-6 lead in its all time series with Tampa Bay, including an unconventional home-and-home split of last year's series. The Panthers were 20-7 home losers when they hosted the Bucs in Week 4 of last season, but exacted revenge with the previously-mentioned 31-23 win at Tampa Bay in Week 17. The Buccaneers rested several key starters for the latter contest, in preparation for the playoffs. Carolina is 5-0 in Tampa Bay since last losing there in 2002. The road team has won six of the last seven meetings in the series.

Gruden is 5-8 in his career against the Panthers, including a win for his Raiders in the 2000 season, while Carolina's John Fox is 8-4 versus both the Buccaneers and Gruden as a head coach.

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