TAMPA, Fla. -- Despite a 1-3 start, coach Lovie Smith insists his Tampa Bay Buccaneers are improving.

A day after a loss to the Carolina Panthers, he offered more specifics about what gives him confidence that the Bucs can recover.

"Offensively, third downs," Smith said. "Red zone offense. Running the football. We had Doug Martin over 100 yards, Vincent Jackson going over 100 [receiving]. Those areas. Offensive line -- they got a little bit of pressure once we got in the passing game, but when we were able to do what we wanted to do, [we ran] the football. Those areas. Defensive side of the football, third downs. We haven't done a good job on third downs, but [we were] under 30 percent yesterday."

True, the Bucs showed improvement in some areas Sunday. Their offense was a dreadful 9-for-40 on third downs before going 8-for-16 against the Panthers. In another bright spot, they went 3-for-5 in the red zone.

Martin, meanwhile, ran for 106 yards on 20 carries, marking his first game with at least 100 yards rushing this season. Jackson caught 10 passes for 147 yards after having just nine receptions through three games. The defense held Carolina to 3-for-11 on third down.

Still, Tampa Bay has work to do in all phases. The Bucs turned the ball over five times in the loss Sunday, thanks to inconsistency from rookie quarterback Jameis Winston. Their scoring defense stands 30th in the NFL by allowing 29.3 points per game. Special teams also remains a question after kicker Kyle Brindza was cut Monday.

"When you lose, you don’t want to talk a lot about the good thing you’re doing," Smith said. "But we're making progress."

Perhaps a little, but larger steps forward are needed fast.