Buccaneers Get Tough on Defense

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers virtually assured themselves a playoff berth with a victory that shows how dangerous they could be in the postseason.

The Buccaneers defeated Baltimore, 22-10, Saturday night, using the same formula--stifling defense and opportunistic offense--that carried the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens to last season’s title.

The victory moved Tampa Bay (9-6) to the brink of its fourth playoff berth in five years. The Buccaneers, who have won five of six after a 4-5 start, will clinch the final NFC wild-card spot if Atlanta loses or ties at Miami today.

Even if Atlanta wins its last two games, the Falcons need Tampa Bay to lose its finale against Philadelphia and they must make up a 79-point tiebreaker differential.

Defensive tackle Warren Sapp doesn’t expect that to happen.

“This team is in the playoffs and we expect to do some damage because every team up there, we can play with,” Sapp said. “Our backs were against the wall and we came out and performed like playoff teams do in December.”

For the Ravens (9-6), it was a disappointing return to the site of their dominating Super Bowl victory.

Elvis Grbac had two passes intercepted and was sacked five times, and Tampa Bay set up one of Doug Brien’s three first-half field goals with a blocked punt.

Baltimore could have grabbed one of the AFC wild-card berths with a victory but will still clinch this weekend if Seattle loses or ties at San Diego.

“As long as we still have a shot at the playoffs, we move on to the next game,” Baltimore Coach Brian Billick said.

“That or you crawl into a fetal position and call for your mother and all those other things that you want to do. But you don’t give in to that impulse.”

Brad Johnson’s one-yard run put the Buccaneers ahead, 16-7, late in the second quarter.

Mike Alstott put the game out of reach with fewer than two minutes to play.

Johnson completed 13 of 29 passes for 90 yards.

Grbac, who completed 21 of 37 passes for 205 yards, threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Travis Taylor to give Baltimore a 7-3 lead in the second quarter.

Matt Stover’s 24-yard field goal trimmed a halftime deficit to 16-10 with 13:26 to play.

Alstott scored on a 32-yard run to finish with 80 yards in 14 carries and Warrick Dunn had 47 in 13 carries.

Brien made field goals of 42, 38 and 24 yards in the first half.