Last Sunday was one of the few days the Bucs were better off without Brett Favre. In a 24-14 loss to the 49ers in San Francisco, Favre connected on 20 of 31 passes for a paltry 137 yards. Favre also had an interception.

Monday against the stinking Panthers, Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia threw two touchdown passes and hooked up 24 times in 38 attempts for 321 yards.

In a rare feat, last week the Bucs were better off with Garcia than Favre.