TAMPA, Fla. -- Even with a strong-armed quarterback in Jameis Winston and impressive young receiver in Mike Evans, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers know they need a consistent running attack.With two-time Pro Bowl running back Doug Martin sidelined with a hamstring injury the past month, the Bucs were unable to establish much of one until Monday night, when Jacquizz Rodgers made his first start of the season in a 17-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers.Rodgers rushed for 101 yards on 30 carries -- both career highs -- as the Bucs ran the ball more times (37) than Winston threw (30) for the first time this season.Any time you have a balanced offense, its huge, offensive tackle Donovan Smith said. To see (Rodgers) carry the ball 30 times, it was huge. It was fun for us also up at the line to be able to just mash the guys in front of us.Coach Dirk Koetter said the opening series of the game set the tone for what the team was going to accomplish.The Bucs (2-3) drove from their own 25-yard line to Carolinas 17 before Roberto Aguayo kicked the first of his three field goals. They ran the ball 10 times during the 14-play drive that lasted more eight minutes, including six straight running plays to begin the game.We were missing two Pro Bowl players in Gerald (McCoy) and Doug, missing three of our four defensive linemen, missing our (top) two running backs, missing one of our best tight ends. We really felt we needed to run the ball, control the clock (and) try not to put our defense in bad position, Koetter said.To have a 14-play drive to start the game was huge, the coach added. Hopefully in the future we can end it with a touchdown and not a field goal. But to go down and get the lead and then give our defense a chance to play (was big).Now, the Bucs have six of the next seven days off. When they return from their bye week to prepare for an Oct. 23 road game against the San Francisco 49ers, Koetter hopes to have several injured players back on the practice field.Tampa Bay trails first-place Atlanta by two games in the NFC South, but owns road victories over the Falcons and Panthers for a 2-0 start in division play.Were a team with a lot of talent, Smith said. I think were right where we need to be looking at the division. Its the bye week, were going to be getting guys back healthy, and weve got a great situation coming off the win. ... Its great.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Discount Jerseys Ireland . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. Jerseys Ireland Sale . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. http://www.cheapjerseysireland.com/ . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. Stitched Jerseys Ireland . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. Cheap Jerseys Ireland Authentic . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Matt Kenseths misfortune gave Joey Logano a chance to race for the championship.In an improbable turn of events, Kenseth came within two laps of a spot in next weeks title-deciding finale but instead was eliminated from NASCARs playoffs. Logano was gifted a victory Sunday that put him in the final four after a tense double-overtime event at Phoenix International Raceway.Kenseth had the win in hand until a late caution sent the race to extra laps. Although he cleared traffic on the restart, his teammate Kyle Busch had contact with Alex Bowman that altered Bowmans racing line.Kenseths spotter told the driver he was clear, but he actually cut down on Bowman and the contact caused him to crash.Logano saw the sequence unfolding, let off the gas early and slid into the lead after the accident. He then held off Busch in the second overtime for the win that qualified him for next weeks championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Before Kenseths accident, Logano was in danger of elimination.Im like, Oh, shoot, were out, and it was going to be so close there at the end to try to get ourselves through, and next thing you know the caution comes out and the whole game changes, Logano said. We find ourselves as the leader, and we win the race. Thats NASCAR racing at its finest.Logano won the race -- the second time in this Chase that he used a victory in an elimination race to advance -- and will compete for his first Sprint Cup title next Sunday. He will try to give Roger Penske a season sweep during the teams 50th anniversary season. Simon Pagenaud won the IndyCar title in September.Ive never felt this good about a win before, Logano said. There was so much on the line, and everyone brings their A-game when it comes to winning championships and this team did it.I feel like I just won the Daytona 500 again.Busch finished second and earned a chance to defend last years title. He will meet Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson, who is seeking a record-tying seventh championship, in Homestead.JGR, which was trying to get all four of its Toyotas into the final, wound up with only two, and Busch wasnt feeling celebratory. He said he believed his contact with Bowman triggered the accident that wrecked Kenseths season.Its really unfortunate and devastating to have the race come down like that, Busch said. Thats so frustrating and aggravating, and I feel horrible.Eliminated from the playofffs Sunday were Kevin Harvick, an eight-time winner at Phoenix who had raced in the last two finales, and his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kurt Busch.dddddddddddd Gibbs drivers Kenseth and Denny Hamlin were also knocked out of the field.Disappointing would be the way to put it lightly, Kenseth said. Finish that race five minutes before that, looked like we had a chance to go race for a championship. It was a big swing in 10 or 15 minutes.Hamlin finished seventh after a bizarre decision not to pit with the rest of the field for track position. Although it gave him a brief lead, he was no match for drivers with fresh tires.I knew it was going to be an uphill climb, Hamlin said.PIT ROAD PENALTIES: NASCAR picked Sunday to enforce a rule against passing the pace car when a driver dips onto pit road for a stop. Martin Truex Jr.?and Johnson were both penalized for the infraction, and the punishment was holding the car for a lap on pit road.Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus were incredulous.I dont understand that in the least little bit, Johnson said on his radio. This is absolutely ridiculous, NASCAR. I have no clue what I did wrong.Johnson said he will ask for clarification this week.In 15 years, that has never been a concern, and I was always told that the last thing NASCAR wanted to do would be to penalize the leader, Johnson said. I am still baffled, and I dont know if I will stop being baffled.BOWMAN OUT FRONT: Bowman badly wants a job for next year, and his continued strong pace as the replacement driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr.?is giving him a solid case to present to prospective employers.Bowman had led just nine laps in his first 79 career Sprint Cup races. Six of those laps were earlier this year driving Earnhardts Chevrolet. A pole-winning run for Sundays race helped Bowman lead a race-high 194 laps, and he was attempting to win the race before the late accident. He faded to sixth and felt bad about his incident with Kenseth.I hate it for Matt. I would have raced the hell out of him for the win but definitely dont want to do that, Bowman said. Hate that, and it ruined our day too. So its unfortunate.UP NEXT: The season finale at Homestead, where the championship will be decided. Harvick won the race in 2014 to win his championship, and Kyle Busch won last year to claim the title. 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