Dropped Punt Drops Vikings : NFC: Guliford’s bobble in overtime sets up a Tampa Bay field goal for a 20-17 victory.

The Minnesota Vikings were thinking Super Bowl three weeks ago. Now, they can’t even beat Tampa Bay.

Eric Guliford’s dropped punt early in overtime led to a 22-yard field goal by Michael Husted and a 20-17 victory for the Buccaneers, who snapped a six-game losing streak and sent the Vikings to their third loss in a row.

It was a fitting finish to a bumbling afternoon for the Vikings (7-5), who fell to second place in the NFC Central behind Chicago (8-4).

“If we want to get anywhere, we better bounce back,” said Minnesota receiver Qadry Ismail. “If we want to feel sorry for ourselves, the Bears will have a feast.”

The Vikings never led after Tampa Bay (3-9) turned an early Warren Moon interception into a 7-0 lead.

But the Vikings tied the score 17-17 with 1:27 left in regulation on Ismail’s spectacular diving 40-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone and Moon’s two-point conversion pass to Cris Carter.

Tampa won the toss in overtime but was forced to punt from the Vikings’ 44. Guliford fielded Dan Stryzinski’s first punt cleanly at the 18, but an offsides penalty was called against Minnesota’s Martin Harrison for lining up in the neutral zone.

The Buccaneers chose to punt over, and Stryzinski’s high kick bounced off Guliford’s chest after Tampa Bay’s Curtis Buckley knocked Minnesota’s Brad Davis into Guliford from the side.

Guliford said he never felt Davis bump him.

“I just dropped it,” he said.

Ed Brady recovered at the four, and Husted’s kick following a timeout gave the Buccaneers a victory in their first overtime game since they beat the Vikings at the Metrodome in 1990.

“Curtis was the man who made the play, I was just in the right place at the right time,” Brady said. “The ball looked as big as a pumpkin sitting there. The way the ball has been bouncing the other way lately, this really felt good.”

The Vikings rarely got pressure on Tampa quarterback Craig Erickson, failing to get a sack for the second time in three games. Minnesota did end its streak of pass attempts without an interception at 130 on Anthony Parker’s second-quarter interception, which set up the first of Fuad Reveiz’s three field goals.

But Erickson was 20 of 38 for 254 yards and a touchdown as Tampa Bay avoided--probably only temporarily--its 12th consecutive season with at least 10 losses. Courtney Hawkins had six catches for 80 yards and a 14-yard touchdown catch that helped Tampa build a 14-9 halftime lead.

The Buccaneers kept the ball away from the Vikings in the second half with two drives of at least seven minutes. Tampa Bay also sacked Moon five times, four times in the first half, after managing nine sacks in the first 11 games.

“It’s the greatest win I’ve ever had as a pro,” said nose tackle Brad Culpepper, who was cut by the Vikings before the season and had one of Sunday’s sacks. “This was a tremendous accomplishment for us.”

Minnesota, which has gone into overtime in three of the last six games, has seen its seemingly comfortable two-game lead in the Central disappear because of defensive breakdowns and costly turnovers.