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The Tampa Tribune, published 6 December 1982
The New Orleans Saints called upon a wing and a prayer Sunday against Tampa Bay. They had the wing all right, but the prayer went unanswered as the Bucs stole off with a 13-10 victory.
The wing was quarterback Kenny Stabler's left arm. The Saint-ly graybeard with the golden touch passed the Bucs silly as his parading team turned the Superdome field into Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras week.
The prayer was a 60-yard, final-minute field goal attempt by rookie Morten Andersen that would have been the second longest success in NFL annals. Alas, Andersen's herculean effort had sufficient distance, but missed by a foot of negotiating inside the right goalpost.
The win, continuing a trend of victorious visiting teanis in the five-game series, promoted Tampa Bay (2-3) into the mid-,ection of the National Football Conference standings.
It also vastly bettered its playoff posture with four games left in the truncated season.
"We felt we had to split these two games on-the road," said McKay, looking forward to next Sunday's date with the New York Jets, "and win all three at home (against Buffalo, Detroit and Chicago). Now, we can't do any worse than a split on the road."
The Bucs denied New Orleans (3-2) its fourth straight victory, which would have been a record for the 16-year-old franchise that has never finished above water in the standings. The Saints remain in a cozy position for the playoffs.
They might have been a downright cinch had the left- footed Andersen, a native of Denmark, hooked his field- goal try a mite less.
Bucs defensive coordinator Wayne Fontes thought he was hallucinating when Andersen took the field with 40 seconds left and the ball on the Bucs' 43-yard line.
"I thought,'He's gotta be bleeping me,' " Fontes said. 'He can't be serious. He's going to fake it.' "I was hoping the wind would blow, or something."
The only wind in the indoor stadium was provided by the 61,709 screaming, pleading, praying fans. "I'm surprised he didn't bring out binoculars with him,"
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