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Rick Stroud, The St.Petersburg Times, published 27 December 1999
Before they even took the field against the Packers on Sunday, the Bucs learned they had secured a spot in the playoffs. Then they kindly demonstrated what they are capable of doing once they get there. The Bucs rebounded from their most lopsided defeat by damaging the Packers' post-season hopes with a 29-10 win at Raymond James Stadium.
Tampa Bay took advantage of four Packers turnovers, three by safety Damien Robinson, and parlayed them into 20 points. Robinson, who had never had an NFL interception, picked off two passes, recovered a fumble and caught his first pro pass on a fake punt. That effort helped the Bucs regain their swagger and put a dagger into the playoff chances of Packers quarterback Brett Favre for the first time since '92. "It's kind of ironic that for so long, that was the team we were chasing," Warren Sapp said of the Packers. "That was Tony's whole cry that we've got to chase down the Packers, chase down the Packers. We had an opportunity today to bury them and we threw them in the grave. We had a shot today to take them down and we did it, and it feels good. But we've still got a long way to go."
The club- record-tying 10th victory guaranteed the Bucs a home playoff game and their fifth post-season berth. A win at Chicago on Sunday would clinch Tampa Bay's first NFC Central title in 18 years and give it a first-round bye, ensuring a playoff game at RJS Jan. 15 or 16. "It doesn't get any bigger, going to Chicago with a chance to win the division and give ourselves a first-round bye and be sitting at home waiting for somebody to come in here and whack them around," Sapp said.
The Bucs (10-5) own a one-game lead over Minnesota. If the teams finish 10-6, the Vikings would win the division in a tiebreaker because of a better conference record. Minnesota hosts Detroit at the Metrodome on Sunday. The Lions backed into the playoffs with the Bucs' win and losses by Carolina and Arizona. Before the game, the Bucs knew they had gained a playoff spot by virtue of Carolina's 30- 20 loss at Pittsburgh. But they had their eyes on a bigger prize.
Rookie quarterback Shaun King won his third game in four weeks by rallying his team again in the second half. The comeback King passed for just 133 yards, but he connected with running back Warrick Dunn on an 8-yard scoring pass and was helped by two touchdown runs by fullback Mike Alstott. The Bucs built a 9-0 lead thanks to a fumble by Dorsey Levens, Robinson's first interception and his 17-yard reception off a fake punt by Mark Royals. It could have been more, but Tampa Bay settled for field goals of 49, 28 and 33 yards by rookie placekicker Martin Gramatica.
But though the Bucs dominated the first half, they went to the locker room trailing 10-9. After Ryan Longwell connected on a 46-yard field goal, the Packers got the ball back when King was intercepted by cornerback Tyrone Williams. Favre's 20-yard screen pass to Levens gave the Packers their only lead. "I was a little mad, but Tony put it in perspective," John Lynch said. "He said we dominated for 28 minutes and we relaxed at the end of the half."
Fortunately, Robinson was just getting started. He recovered a fumble by Packers receiver Bill Schroeder that was forced by linebacker Hardy Nickerson at the Green Bay 23. King fired 9 yards to Dunn for one first down and went back to him on a screen pass that the running back turned into an 8-yard touchdown, only his second of the season. The play gave the Bucs a 16-10 lead they would never relinquish. Alstott, who gained 61 of his 79 yards in the fourth quarter, scored his first touchdown on a 5- yard run to start the quarter.
Robinson's second interception, with 7:02 left, all but sealed the victory. Alstott made it 29-10 when he burst through a hole over left tackle, then faked Packers cornerback Mike McKenzie out of his cleats on his way to a 17-yard run. The Bucs finished with 124 rushing yards, which was welcome after rushing for a total of 75 yards in their past two games.
Dunn's biggest contributions came as a receiver. Not only did he lead the Bucs with six catches for 48 yards, but his clutch receptions on back-to-back third-and-long situations sustained the Bucs' game-clinching touchdown drive. "I wanted to be a big factor, I wanted to play big," Dunn said. "I think this is the most I've ever been ready to play and I was just hungry. I took what they gave us and tried to make things happen."
The Bucs defense, which was embarrassed last week at Oakland by allowing Tyrone Wheatley and Napoleon Kaufman to each rush for more than 100 yards, held the Packers to 12 yards on the ground. "We were tired last week," Chidi Ahanotu said. "We beat Minnesota, we beat Detroit and those teams were hot. It took a lot out of us, you know? And then, we had the long trip out there the day before and I know I was tired. I know my legs were gone. In pregame, you pretty much know, and I didn't have it. Plus, they had 10 days of rest. We just said, 'This isn't us.' We knew what we could do."
"It's a fantastic group of guys, very competitive, and we've had some great games with them," said coach Tony Dungy, whose record against the Packers improved to 2-7. "We've come up on the losing end of most of them. They knocked us out of the playoffs one year and it's kind of poetic justice. But you know we had to go through the team that basically has been the standard- bearer since I've been here. So that makes it all the sweeter for us."
Of course, it won't be easy. The Bucs are 0-16 in games played in temperatures below 40 degrees. "I'll tell you what, when they get the ball, it doesn't all of a sudden turn to 80 degrees and sunny," Sapp said. "We've all got to deal with the elements. This is a ballclub that feels like it can get it done anywhere and anyhow and we've got to prove that next week in Chicago. The Bucs have won only three times in their history at Soldier Field. But a first- round bye is all the motivation they need.
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