(Sports Network) - Mike Carey emerged from under the replay hood with some bad news.

Michael Clayton had in fact established possession with two feet firmly on the turf before extending the ball and placing it against the white chalk that separates success from failure.

In a game built around fine lines, half a pigskin kept the Bengals from escaping Raymond James Stadium with a victory over the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Instead, a 14-13 defeat dropped Cincinnati to 3-2 on the season.

In the broader sense, constant themes of struggle hindered the Bengals far more than a last-second touchdown.

"I am not pleased," head coach Marvin Lewis said. "We didn't play well enough on third down, offense or defense."

The Bengals also didn't do a great job up front with a beaten bunch. Palmer was sacked twice, hurried countless other times and Rudi Johnson managed only 52 yards rushing with just three of those yards coming on seven first-half carries.

With Levi Jones still out, the Bengals are mixing and matching in an attempt to find the right combination of five guys to open up holes for Johnson on the ground and protect their prized quarterback in the pocket.

For the near future, Lewis will have to stick with the group that finished the game in Tampa.

"We'll start how we finished Tampa Bay, with Eric Ghiaciuc at center and Andrew Whitworth replacing Levi at left tackle," said Lewis.

The opposite line also was problematic, yielding 94 yards on the ground to Carnell Williams, including a huge 38-yard burst that set up a game-tying touchdown early in the third quarter.

"We allowed them to convert 5-of-9 third downs in the second half," said Lewis. "There is the difference in the football game."

That and a final Tampa Bay drive that ended in thrilling fashion.

Bruce Gradkowski converted a 3rd-and-3 earlier in the drive with a 15-yard strike to Clayton then found the wideout on a slant pattern on fourth down for the game-winning score. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass before Carey overturned the ruling on the field following a replay review.

"The first look is Joey Galloway on the out-and-up and they double-covered him and I came underneath," Clayton said. "Bruce got it there. (Receivers) coach Richard Mann says you have to 'bow up' because there's a little contact down there. He made a good throw. I was able to catch it and stretch out over the goal line," explained Clayton.

THE PLAY BEFORE THE PLAY

While Gradkowski's fastball into Clayton's midsection was the final blow, the defining moment of the game occurred earlier on the march.

On first down at the Cincinnati 32-yard line, Gradkowski danced around in the pocket before being wrestled to the ground by defensive end Justin Smith. The sack would have placed the Buccaneers in 2nd-and-long at the 40-yard line.

However, Carey whistled Smith for roughing the passer, a penalty that drew the ire of many Bengals after the contest.

"I guess you have to cuddle him to the ground," quipped Lewis.

"I couldn't believe it," answered Smith, who forced a fumble on the play that was recovered by fellow pass rusher Robert Geathers. "That was the ballgame."

"It's a shock to everybody, except the guy who called it. He must have season tickets down here. It's pretty bad if you can't touch them," continued Smith. "I wish I was a quarterback."

Actually Justin, Carey and his family reside in San Diego.

STATS DON'T LIE

-Chad Johnson did catch six balls for 99 yards, but again failed to reach the end zone. He has just one touchdown on the season, a Week 2 score against rival Cleveland.

-Palmer threw for 261 yards and one touchdown, but four of his seven touchdown tosses on the season came in one game - a 28-20 victory over Pittsburgh in Week 3.

-Ahmad Brooks, who didn't even play in the first two games but started for injured Brian Simmons at linebacker, led the team with 11 tackles. The problem was that most of those stops happened downfield.

-Only one wide receiver other than Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught a pass. Antonio Chatman finished with two catches for 13 yards. The stat illuminates the effect of the loss of Chris Henry, who is serving a two-game suspension for violating the league's Personal Conduct and Substance Abuse policies.

COACH SPEAK

"We obviously didn't do some things right," said Lewis on the loss. "We got beat and ran out of time. I have to commend all the (Bengals) fans that traveled down to Tampa Bay, and we should have pulled out the win for them, but we didn't. We need to move on and put it behind us. And we will."

UP NEXT: THE NFC SOUTH TRIO CONTINUES

The Bengals continue a three-game stretch with the NFC South against Steve Smith and the red-hot Carolina Panthers. Since Smith has returned to the lineup, the Panthers have reeled off four straight wins following two setbacks to open the campaign. Carolina disposed of Cincinnati's AFC North rival Baltimore, 23-21, last Sunday.

The contest will mark just the third-ever meeting between the two franchises, and the first in Cincinnati. The Bengals lost the previous two encounters, yielding 79 total points in the contests.