Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20 Detroit Lions 10
Sunday 28 December 1997 at Houlihans Stadium
FOX COMMENTARY CREW Pat Summerall and John Madden
Delighted fans watched the Bucs methodically flatten Detroit
rushing to a 20-0 third quarter lead before holding on for the 20-
10 Wild Card victory. The highlight was on Detroit’s final
desperate drive, when Frank Reich completed a 15-yard pass on
3rd & 16, and then forgot it was 4th down and spiked the ball to
stop the clock. The Bucs got the ball back and it was over. Two
more wins and the Super Bowl beckoned.
STARTERS
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
LT
74 Gruber
LDE
72 Ahanotu
LG
60 Pyne
DT
77 Culpepper
C
61 Mayberry
DT
99 Sapp
RG
73 Middleton
RDE
91 Upshaw
RT
70 Odom
WLB
55 Brooks
TE
83 Moore
MLB
56 Nickerson
WR
85 Anthony
SLB
59 Porter
WR
86 Williams
LCB
21 Abraham
QB
12 Dilfer
SS
47 Lynch
FB
40 Alstott
FS
22 Mincy
RB
28 Dunn
RCB
27 Parker
PLAYED
4 Walsh, 5 Husted, 7 Landeta, 23 Bouie, 25 Johnson, 29 Gant, 31
Young, 32 Rhett, 37 Ellison, 45 Legette, 50 Gooch, 52 Bellisari, 53
Quarles, 64 Diaz, 71 Wunsch, 80 Harris, 82 Hape, 84 Thomas, 87
Davis, 88 Copeland, 90 Maniecki, 94 White, 97 Jackson
INACTIVES
13 Milanovich, 20 Barber, 24 Robinson, 48 Jordan, 51 Singleton, 65
Dogins, 69 Pierson, 75 Curry
GAME SCORING
TB
5:24-1Q
Husted FG22
TB
10:24-2Q
Copeland 9 pass from Dilfer (Husted kick)
TB
6:49-3Q
Husted FG42
TB
11:06-3Q
Alstott 31 run (Husted kick)
DET
0:28-3Q
Hanson FG33
DET
7:48-4Q
Vardell 1 run (Hanson kick)
GAME REPORTS
Click here for Pat Yasinskas' game review
Click here for Mick Elliott's morning-after column
Click here for Gary Shelton's opinions
Click here for the gamebook and the play-by-play
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
BUCS: Dunn 18-72, Alstott 11-68, Anthony 1-1, Dilfer 2-0.
LIONS: Sanders 18-65, Mitchell 4-20, Rivers 1-17, Reich 1-5, Vardell 2-1,
Jett 1-1.
PASSING
BUCS: Dilfer 26-13-181-1-1.
LIONS: Mitchell 25-10-78-1-0, Reich 15-11-129-0-0.
RECEIVING
BUCS: Anthony 3-62, Dunn 3-0, Thomas 2-66, Copeland 2-14, Williams 1-
23, Alstott 1-12, Harris 1-4.
LIONS: Morton 8-88, Sanders 5-43, Moore 4-44, Boyd 2-11, Vardell 1-12,
Sloan 1-9.
INTERCEPTIONS
BUCS: Parker 1-19.
LIONS: Rice 1-2.
KICK RETURNS
BUCS: Anthony 3-52.
LIONS: Milburn 5-140.
PUNT RETURNS
BUCS: Williams 2-8, Dunn 0-0.
LIONS: Milburn 2-5.
SACKS
BUCS: Jackson 1-5, Ahanotu 1-4.
LIONS: London 1-6, Elliss 1-0.
VIDEO CLIPS
Horace Copeland set the Bucs on their way with this opening score
Mike Alstott had the final Tampa Bay touchdown in the original stadium
Tyoka Jackson finished the Lions off with this sack of Frank Reich
