Buccaneers defense stuffs the Falcons
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were shocked last week when they lost to the Indianapolis Colts and their backup QB Paul Justin. On Sunday, the Buccaneers defense took their frustrations out on the Atlanta Falcons, 22-17, in front of 46,000 fans in the Georgia Dome.
The Tampa Bay Defense was dominant despite a putrid output by their offense. The Buc’s offense totaled a mere 176 total yards of offense. QB Trent Dilfer was 9 of 19 passing with 122 yards. He did have 2 TD passes but threw 2 interceptions. The strength of the Bucs has been their running game, but they could only manage 67 yards on 36 carries for 1.9 yards a carry.
On the flip side, the Buc’s defense held the Falcons to 276 yards of offense. They sacked QB Chris Chandler seven times and picked him off once. DT Warren Sapp sacked Chandler in the end zone for a safety. They also held the Falcons’ running game to 84 yards on 20 carries.
Atlanta pulled to within five points late in the game when Byron Hanspard returned a kickoff 89-yards for a TD to pull to within 22-17; however, the Bucs fell on an onside kick and sealed the game.
The Buccaneers are now tied for second in the NFC North with a 7-3 record and are poised for a Wildcard spot in the NFC. They have a huge test next Sunday when the New England Patriots come to Houlihan Stadium.
As for the Falcons, they fall to 4-6 on the season, but are still on the cusp of a Wildcards spot. They face Rams next weekend in St. Louis. They beat the Rams a couple of weeks ago 16-13 at home.