Wild Card Game 4. Seattle at Tampa Bay
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Tag Archives: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Boyd’s 1997 Game 128 (Week 10) Tampa Bay at Indianapolis
Colts get lucky; Blanchard kicks them to victory
Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. That might have been the case Sunday afternoon in the RCA Dome as the Indianapolis Colts stunned the Tampa Buccaneers with a 27-24 victory.
The game should have gone into overtime, but the Buccaneers made a crucial mistake. With 4 seconds left in the game and the game tied at 24, the Colts lined up for a game-winning field goal; however, Cary Blanchard missed the 43-yarder wide-right! It seemed as if the game was going into overtime, BUT there was a yellow flag on the play. The Bucs were offsides!
The referees moved the ball 5 yards closer and then Blanchard kicked the game-winning kick with no time on the clock. The Colts won 27-24 winning their 4th game of the year!
The Colts won despite having a backup quarterback on the field in Paul Justin, who took over because Jim Harbaugh broke his hand punching out former Bills’ QB Jim Kelly. Justin had the best day of his career. He was 17-31 passing for 196 yards and 3 TDs against one of the best defenses in the NFL in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Colts also got a great day from RB Marshal Faulk, who rushed for 116 yards on 24 carries. Faulk also caught 4 passes for 39 yards.
Defensively, the Colts got another solid day from pass rushing DE Dan Footman. He had two sacks in the game and now has 11.5 on the season, which puts him in the top 3 in the NFL.
As for the Buccaneers, they fell mainly because they could not get their running game going, which has been their strength all season. Warrick Dunn, Mike Alstott and Erict Rhett combined for 85 yards on 26 carries.
The Colts (4-5) will host the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals next week, while the Buccaneers (6-3) will try to get their season turned around after losing 3 of 4 as they travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons.
Game 261. Carolina at Tampa Bay
Game 121. Tampa Bay at Kansas City
Game 105. Tampa Bay at Dallas
Game 101. Seattle at Tampa Bay
Game 249. Tampa Bay at New York Jets
Boyd’s 1997 Game 114 (Week 9) Minnesota at Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay lays the smack down on the Vikes
The Minnesota Vikings were on a surge. They lost their first four games of the season but have reeled off three consecutive wins…until they ran into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay didn’t waste time as they built a 17-0 lead in the first quarter of Sunday’s matchup at Houlihan Stadium. The Bucs took their opening possession and marched right down the field behind the running duo of Warrick Dunn and Mike Alstott. Dunn plunged into the endzone from 3 yards out to give the Bucs a 7-0 lead. After Brad Johnson interception to CB Donnie Abraham, the Bucs scored when Michael Husted kicked in a 38-yard field goal.
Late in the first quarter, Johnson threw another interception. Again, Bucs CB Donnie Abraham picked off Johnson and went 13 yards for a pick-six to give the Bucs their 17-0 lead. It’s Abraham’s second INT of the game and 4th of the season.
The Bucs salted the game away as they controlled the time of possession with their powerful running game. The Bucs rushed for 179 yards on 35 carries, and they picked up an additional rushing TD from veteran Erict Rhett.
The Vikings couldn’t get their running game going. In their 3-game winning streak, the Vikings averaged 166 yards on the ground. Today, they rushed for 79 yards and lost running backs Robert Smith and Leroy Hoard due to injuries.
The Buccaneers are chasing the Packers in the NFC Central Division with a 6-2 record. Next week, the Buccaneers go on the road to take the Indianapolis Colts. The Vikings will host New England next Sunday.
