The Carolina Panthers put up all sorts of impressive stats during their 15-1 season, but perhaps none were as important as what they did in the turnover department.

An NFL-best +20 turnover differential translated into a franchise-record 148 points off of turnovers. And while the defense led the league with 39 take-aways, the offense tied for the eighth-fewest give-aways with 19.

What a difference a few months make.

Coming into Monday night, the Panthers were tied for 25th with a -3 turnover margin. But they had a golden opportunity to get back on track against the Bucs who were 31st at -9.

So you don't even have to look at the final score to see who won.

All you need to know is the Panthers had four turnovers and, for the second time this season, forced none. That happened just once all of last year.

And those four give-aways? They up the Panthers' five-game tally to 14, five fewer than last season's total and most in the NFL through Week Five.

At -7, the Panthers don't have the worst turnover differential in the league, but that's because the Jets are at -9, thanks mostly to quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick's six-interception meltdown in Week Three.

While we're not supposed to be thinking back to last year, it's impossible to ignore these types of numbers.

During their 5-0 start in 2015, the Panthers had just five turnovers while forcing 11 take-aways and outscoring opponents off turnovers, 51-6.

During their 1-4 start this year, the Panthers have been outscored off turnovers, 40-30.