Buccaneers at Home--Alone in Lead

Tampa Bay Coach Tony Dungy doesn’t want the Buccaneers to forget how they got into first place in the NFC Central.

“We have guys who can make big plays,” the coach said Sunday, “but we win as a team.”

That was never more evident than during a 23-16 win over the Detroit Lions that gave the Buccaneers (9-4) a franchise-record sixth consecutive victory and sole possession of first place in December for the first time since 1981--the last time Tampa Bay won the division.

“We’ve always been confident, but as you get momentum going and get on a winning streak, you feel like you can’t be beat,” fullback Mike Alstott said. “We’re in a great situation right now.”

Playing with poise that belied his experience, rookie Shaun King completed 23 of 37 passes for 297 yards and got the league’s 28th-ranked offense into the end zone twice in the fourth quarter with some help from a defense that forced its 19th turnover in six games.

Mike Alstott’s one-yard touchdown run finished a nine-play, 65-yard drive that tied the score at 16-16 with 9:26 to go.

Alstott scored again five minutes later, taking a short pass and lumbering along the right sideline to a 22-yard touchdown. John Lynch’s interception and 28-yard return had given Tampa Bay the ball at the Detroit 24.

King beat Minnesota, 24-17, in his first pro start Monday night.

Now he has beaten Detroit (8-5) to drop the Lions a game behind Tampa Bay, which trailed 10-0 before King got the offense going with a screen pass to Warrick Dunn that gained 68 yards, setting up a three-yard touchdown pass to rookie Kevin McLeod.

Dunn had six receptions for 115 yards.

Detroit quarterback Gus Frerotte, starting for the fifth consecutive game with Charlie Batch nursing a bruised right thumb, was 23 for 44 for 241 yards with one interception.

Greg Hill scored on a 10-yard run, but was held to 25 yards in 10 carries after gaining 123 in 16 attempts during a 20-3 victory over Tampa Bay on Oct. 31.

The Buccaneers haven’t lost since. And King, who guided Tulane to a 12-0 record to finish his college career with a 13-game winning streak, hasn’t played in a game his team lost since Nov. 15, 1997.