Buccaneers Finally Meet Big Expectations

This is what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had in mind when they spent most of the preseason talking about their Super Bowl aspirations.

Playing with a sense of urgency that appeared to be absent in their first five games, the Buccaneers finally looked like a championship contender in a 41-14 rout of the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Tampa Bay played with uncharacteristic efficiency on offense, excelled on special teams and got its nasty edge back on defense, answering doubters with a complete performance.

“I think we all just took the criticism and said it’s us against the world. I think we like it that way,” All-Pro defensive tackle Warren Sapp said.

“When nobody believes in the Bucs--’Same old Bucs, same old this, same old that, they’re going to find a way to lose’--we like that because we know we have the know-how and the personnel to get it done.”

Mike Alstott ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns, and Brad Johnson threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns as Tampa Bay (3-3) won for the first time in three games.

Alstott, starting at tailback instead of fullback because Warrick Dunn is injured, scored on runs of three and five yards to help the Buccaneers to a 28-0 halftime lead. He broke two tackles on a 10-yard touchdown burst that made it 41-8 late in the third quarter.

Tampa Bay punted on its opening drive, then scored on seven consecutive possessions while holding Minnesota (3-4) without a first down until Cris Carter’s 40-yard reception five minutes into the second half.

“This is what we’re capable of,” said Buccaneer Coach Tony Dungy, who improved to 6-6 against close friend and former boss Dennis Green. “We put it together and we’re still in the hunt ... just thought our guys were determined to win.” The Vikings, who beat Tampa Bay, 20-16, at home last month, scored on Travis Prentice’s one-yard, third-quarter touchdown run and Daunte Culpepper’s 25-yard pass play to Randy Moss with less than six minutes to go.

Minnesota finished with a season-low 192 yards net offense, while Tampa Bay gained a season-high 446 and held the ball for more than 38 minutes.

“They just outplayed us,” said Culpepper, who broke his nose in the first quarter but didn’t leave the game. “It was very surprising to me because I know what we have.” Slow starts have not been unusual for the Buccaneers under Dungy, and they’ve used home victories over the Vikings to begin strong stretch runs the past three seasons.

Johnson, sacked 10 times in Tampa’s loss to Pittsburgh last week, completed 18 of 25 passes. Aaron Stecker scored his first NFL touchdown on a 35-yard pass play, and Dave Moore’s five-yard touchdown reception gave the Buccaneers a 28-point margin at halftime.

Tampa Bay played the second half without Keyshawn Johnson, who had five catches for 62 yards before leaving the game with a right knee bruise.

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Running It Up

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