Buccaneers Bamboozle Warner and Rams, 24-17

Billed as the Greatest Show on Earth, the high-flying St. Louis offense unveiled a new twist Monday against Tampa Bay.

The no show.

The Rams had five turnovers--three fumbles and two interceptions--in a 24-17 loss, blowing their chance for their first 9-1 start since 1945.

“We made mistakes,” Coach Mike Martz said flatly. “You can’t do that against a good football team.... We couldn’t get it done offensively, which is a concern. Normally, we can do those things, but we just couldn’t get it done.”

The respect-starved Buccaneers, who had lost four of six and were free-falling out of the playoff picture, intercepted a pair of Kurt Warner passes in the final 3:53 to squelch any hopes of a comeback.

“We did a bunch of different things to [Warner],” said defensive tackle Warren Sapp, who had two sacks, forced one fumble and recovered another. “We put some pressure on him, and our DBs did a good job. He threw some balls and we went and got them.

“That’s how the defense is supposed to work.”

Tampa Bay had a chance to land the knockout blow midway through the fourth quarter when it led, 24-17, and recovered a blocked punt at the Ram 19. The Buccaneers drove to the 8, getting a first down when quarterback Brad Johnson surged ahead for a yard on fourth and inches. But the tide turned three plays later, when defensive end Brian Young intercepted a third-down pass to give the Rams new life.

But five plays later, after driving his team to the Tampa Bay 36, Warner threw a pass into the arms of cornerback Donnie Abraham on fourth down.

Unable to get a first down, the Buccaneers gave St. Louis one more opportunity with 2:36 remaining. But on the opening play of the last-gasp drive, Warner’s pass was intercepted by safety John Lynch and the game essentially ended.

“We felt that we were going to go out there and turn this into our type of ballgame,” Buccaneer linebacker Derrick Brooks said. “We played fast, we played quick, we tackled, and we simply gave ourselves a chance to win.

“As potent as the Rams are on offense, you have to remember they lead the league in turnovers, also. And we’ve been getting some turnovers. We never let them get into a rhythm.”

Warner had two of his team’s three fumbles, was sacked three times and, of course, threw the interceptions.

“What can you say?” he said. “It’s tough not to go out and do your part to win a football game.”

The Rams rolled up 345 yards of offense, but most of that came between the 20s. Their only touchdown was a one-yard pass from Warner to tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, which came with 1:41 to play in the third quarter and--coupled with a two-point conversion run by Marshall Faulk--forged a 17-17 tie.

Tampa Bay answered five minutes later with a 21-yard touchdown run by Warrick Dunn that capped a nine-play, 90-yard drive.

Mike Alstott scored two touchdowns for the Buccaneers, dashing untouched up the middle for a seven-yarder in the second quarter, then slipping two tackles to score an eight-yarder in the third.

“We just plugged away and plugged away,” he said. “We played as a team today instead of different units.”

Although the Rams shuffled to the locker room down, 10-9, at halftime, things could have been worse. They fumbled three times in the first half--twice inside their 25--yet only one of those resulted in a Tampa Bay touchdown.

St. Louis caught a break early in the second quarter when Warner apparently fumbled as Steve White stripped him from behind, and linebacker Shelton Quarles recovered the ball at the Ram 15. But the Rams challenged the ruling, arguing Warner was attempting to throw, and instant replay convinced officials that was the case.

“Turnovers are killing us right now,” defensive end Grant Wistrom said. “But at the same point, we’ve got to force them on defense and we’re not doing that.”