Unbeaten, untied, until ... Rick Stroud, The St.Petersburg Times, published 6 October 1997 It was a leap of faith. Shortly after defensive end Gabe Wilkins intercepted a screen pass, he launched his 6-foot-5, 295-pound body skyward and gravity took a vacation. This was the play that would restore the shaken belief in the Green Bay Packers. Wilkins easily cleared quarterback Trent Dilfer, the last remaining obstacle between him and the end zone. The Bucs weren't as fortunate. They finally hit a hurdle. The streak that was part incredible ended in a way that was almost inevitable - a 21-16 loss to the defending Super Bowl champions in the NFL cathedral that is Lambeau Field, where the Packers have won 19 straight regular-season games. After spotting Green Bay all of its points in the first half, a furious Bucs rally ended as the clock ran out with Tampa Bay at midfield. The only consolation for the Bucs (5-1) is that they left still clutching a one-game lead in the NFC Central over the Packers and Vikings (both 4-2). Four of their remaining five games against division opponents will be at Houlihan's Stadium, where they own an eight-game winning streak. The defeat also spoiled a big day by rookie tailback Warrick Dunn, who rushed 16 times for 125 yards (7.8 avg.) and a touchdown. But his first-quarter fumble led to a Green Bay score. In fact, the first two Packers touchdowns were the result of Bucs turnovers, and they only had to drive 50 yards for their third and final score. One play proved to be the difference. With the Bucs trailing 7-3 and having just recovered a fumble by quarterback Brett Favre at the Packers' 18, Wilkins intercepted a screen pass intended for Mike Alstott, hurdled Dilfer and raced 77 yards for the touchdown. "It was as far as (the mood) can swing," Favre said. "You fumble the ball on a quarterback sneak and on the next play your defensive lineman intercepts it and looks like O.J. (Simpson) running through the airport." Last week, it was the Cardinals' Aeneas Williams who picked off a Dilfer pass and returned it for a score. This time it was Wilkins. Dilfer said he didn't see either player before he threw. On the screen to Alstott, Bucs tackle Paul Gruber said he cut-blocked Wilkins a little early, allowing him to pop up and make the play. "I never really look at it. I look strong side to keep the linebackers and safeties (away). I always throw it when I'm turning around, as every quarterback does," Dilfer said. "And I threw it, the guy got off his knees and picked it." The only thing worse than throwing the interception for Dilfer was failing to tackle Wilkins. "Bad technique," he said. Dunn's fumble at his 35 led to the Packers' first touchdown - a 31-yard pass from Favre to Antonio Freeman. The Bucs' rookie was driving for extra yardage after a 9-yard rush and had the ball stripped by Tyrone Williams. The Bucs lost more than just their handle on the football Sunday. Punter Tommy Barnhardt, who was enjoying a Pro Bowl-type season, fractured his collarbone making a tackle on a punt return by Bill Schroeder in the fourth quarter. He is expected to miss six weeks and the Bucs will audition punters Tuesday. Funny thing about Barnhardt going down. It was as if the Bucs realized they couldn't punt anymore, so they didn't. They started scoring touchdowns instead. Dunn got it going by ripping off a run for 18 yards on the first play of a 63-yard drive that ended with Alstott hurdling into the end zone. Dunn set the tone on the next possession, exploding for a 44-yard run on first down. Not only did it get the Bucs out of a hole, but it jump-started a 90-yard drive in nine plays, capped by Dunn's 2-yard TD run. With the score 21-16, the Bucs tried for the two-point conversion that would've put them within a field goal of sending the game into overtime. But Dilfer's pass to Karl Williams in the end zone was low and off his fingertips. The play was significant because it forced the Bucs to go on fourth and 6 from the Packers' 42 with two timeouts and 1:57 left in the game rather than pin Green Bay deep with a pooch punt. Dilfer's fourth-down pass to Dunn was broken up by Packers linebacker Wayne Simmons. Both Dunn and Dungy thought there might have been interference on the play. "Dunn's jersey was stretched about 10 yards on that play," linebacker Hardy Nickerson said. But neither Dunn nor Dungy blamed the referees. "You're not going to get that call up here," Dungy said. "We know that and we've seen it on film. Somehow we've got to make the throw and make the catch." The Bucs also would do well to hold onto the ball when it hits their defenders' hands. Defensive back Anthony Parker dropped a sure interception that would've snuffed out the Packers' final touchdown. And linebacker Hardy Nickerson, who also blocked a field goal, nearly one-handed a pass from Favre deep in Packers territory. With the Packers leading 21-3 at halftime, it looked like the rout was on. "You know what the good part of it was? We came back," Nickerson said. "I'm sure they were in the locker room at halftime thinking we were out of it. And we showed our character." The Packers looked to be putting the game away when they had the ball first and 10 at the Tampa Bay 20 leading 21-10 in the fourth quarter. But Favre was sacked on consecutive plays by Regan Upshaw and Chidi Ahanotu. Ahanotu had a big game with two sacks and a fumble recovery. "We were in somebody else's house, against the Super Bowl champs," Alstott said. "We were down 21-3. We could've folded our tents and gone home." Even in defeat, the Bucs had an appreciation and pride for the stage they shared with the Packers. "To tell you the truth, I was really thinking about how fun it was today," safety John Lynch said. "And in the fourth quarter when we came back and made it a game, that crowd was just unbelievable. And the atmosphere was incredible. I was thinking this is what football is all about and I can't wait until we come up here one time and actually take them down. You come out of this game with a lot of respect for them and realize maybe people have been making too much of their early struggles. But you also come back with a lot of confidence knowing we moved the ball on offense and in the second half, shut them down on defense. You come out with a ton of confidence." Perhaps the highest compliment came from Favre, who saw a little of the Super Bowl champs in the Bucs. "They were 5-0 and a pretty good football team," he said. "They're where we were a couple of years ago."