Defensive linemen Warren Sapp (99) and Marcus Jones combined for six of the Bucs' seven sacks

Early in the second quarter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' nationally-televised game against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night, Detroit punter John Jett took a snap near his own 20 and suddenly faced an onslaught of Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay's hopes could hardly have been higher. The team had scored on its first two drives of the night and looked to be in line for a back-breaking touchdown when rookie LB Nate Webster knocked the ball directly off Jett's foot.

CB Ronde Barber chased the bounding ball into Detroit's end zone and gathered it into his arms as he crossed the goal line. Then Barber dropped it. Detroit S Ron Rice fell on the loose ball for a safety. Tampa Bay missed out on five points, and never fully recovered.

With opportunities such as this left littered all over the Raymond James Stadium field, the Buccaneers lost 28-14. It was Tampa Bay's fourth straight loss, maybe the most disappointing of the four, and it dropped the Bucs below .500, to 3-4. Detroit, meanwhile, raised its own mark to 5-2 and earned a season split against the Buccaneers.

The Lions have reached that seven-game mark -one the Bucs seemed destined for - thanks to an ability to convert turnovers into scores. That was never more evident than Thursday night, as the Lions turned four Buc giveaways into 13 points. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay sacked QB Charlie Batch seven times but couldn't force a single turnover

The game certainly started on a positive note for Tampa Bay. For the first time this season, the Bucs' offense drove for a score on its first possession, marching directly down the field on a combination of Mike Alstott's running and Keyshawn Johnson's catching.

Alstott ripped off consecutive runs of 12 and 14 yards inside Detroit territory and Johnson caught two passes for 25 more. However, Alstott couldn't pick up the yardage needed on a third-and-one at the Lions' eight, leading to a Martin Gramatica field goal.

After a Detroit three-and-out, the Bucs' next drive was similarly strong, and similarly unfinished. RB Warrick Dunn flashed through the line untouched for a 34-yard run on the first play, but the Bucs could gain no additional first downs and Gramatica nailed a 43-yarder.

The Bucs' safety followed, giving the home team an 8-0 lead. There was already a feeling of missed chances in the air at that point, and it grew worse when the Bucs fumbled away the possession earned by the safety. Alstott lost the ball on a typical second effort and Detroit recovered at the Bucs' 37. Though they could gain only 23 yards, the Lions turned it into three points on a Jason Hanson field goal.

Gramatica matched Hanson minutes later with a 50-yard field goal, but the Buccaneers missed on a chance to take an eight-point lead into halftime. Detroit drove 70 yards on 12 plays as the second quarter drained away, keeping the drive alive with an improbable conversion on third-and-22 as Batch escaped pressure and threw 25 yards to WR Johnnie Morton. RB James Stewart ran it in from four yards and followed with the two-point conversion on another carry.

Still, as disquieting as the second quarter was for Tampa Bay, the game was even heading into halftime. That changed quickly in the third period when another Buccaneer turnover, this one an interception by CB Bryant Westbrook, led to a go-ahead field goal by the Lions. Detroit actually moved backwards on the drive but still got Hanson's 43-yarder through the uprights.

Again, the Bucs matched it, opening the fourth quarter with a gamble that paid off. Stalled at the Lions' 37 and facing a fourth-and-two, Head Coach Tony Dungy sent Gramatica in to try a career-long 55-yarder. Gramatica hit it straight and long, knotting the game at 14 all.

With the Raymond James Stadium crowd now fully into the game, the Buccaneers' defense stopped Detroit quickly and put the ball back into King's hands. Facing another short third down at the Bucs' 40, King faked a handoff to Alstott and rolled left. Detroit wasn't fooled, the coverage was solid and an attempt to force a pass into coverage by King resulted in another pick, this one by LB Chris Claiborne.

Detroit then drove 64 yards on eight plays to score the winning touchdown on a four-yard run by Stewart. The Bucs took their next possession back to midfield, but turned the ball over on downs, leading to another short Detroit drive and a third Stewart touchdown.

The loss wasted some fine individual efforts by the Buccaneers. DT Marcus Jones set a single-game Buccaneer record by sacking Batch four times, and DT Warren Sapp had two sacks of his own. Jones also blocked a third-quarter field goal try by the Lions.

Gramatica made all four of his field goal tries. S John Lynch had a team-high nine tackles and two passes defensed despite suffering from cramps. WR Keyshawn Johnson caught six passes for 79 yards despite a third-quarter hit that literally knocked his helmet off.

In the end, though, it wasn't enough. Tampa Bay is now in the throes of its worst losing streak since a five-game skid that opened Dungy's career as the Bucs' head coach in 1996. They have been broadcast to a national audience in four straight weeks and have failed to make the desired impression.

Buccaneers.com provided detailed reports of each quarter of action during the game. Those accounts, complete with descriptions of each play, follow to provide a closer look at the action.

First Quarter

The Bucs dominated the first quarter, driving for scores on their first two possessions and allowing Detroit to earn just one first down. However, each of the Bucs' scoring drives fizzled near the end, leading to a pair of field goals and a lead of just 6-0.

Tampa Bay's First Drive

The Buccaneers won the toss and thus received the opening kickoff, with RB Aaron Stecker taking Jason Hanson's kick at the back of the end zone for a touchback. However, an offsides penalty on Detroit led to a re-kick from five yards farther back, and Stecker took this offering at the two and returned it up the gut to the 31.

QB Shaun King came out throwing and hit WR Keyshawn Johnson on a quick slant, but a hard hit from CB Terry Fair jarred it loose for an incompletion. RB Warrick Dunn was stopped for no gain on a second-down carry up the middle, leading to third-and-ten. King went back to Johnson to convert it, throwing a 16-yard curl that Johnson caught as he slid to the ground at the Bucs' 47.

King took a quick drop on the next snap and fired a five-yard pass to WR Jacquez Green, but threw an errant pass past Johnson on second down as the pocket collapsed quickly. On third down, Johnson started in motion from right to left and, as he faced the Bucs' sideline, saw Head Coach Tony Dungy signaling for a timeout. Johnson quickly followed suit, getting a timeout from the referees.

Tampa Bay converted another first down thanks to an outstanding effort by Dunn. Taking a screen pass five yards deep in the backfield, Dunn was met almost immediately by CB Lamar Campbell, but escaped that tackle with a spin move. He then cut through the defense for just enough yards for a first down to the Detroit 43.

The Bucs then blasted into the red zone on two plays, both Mike Alstott runs. On the first, Alstott found a huge hole in the middle and rumbled forward for 12 yards. On the next, the middle was clogged but he bounced around the right end for 14 more.

Alstott got the call on the next snap but was stopped for just one yard. Another pass to Johnson picked up nine yards. The Bucs brought in their 'jumbo' package on third-and-one from the Detroit eight and tried to run Alstott behind a passel of blockers, but lost one yard on the play and settled for a Martin Gramatica field goal try. Gramatica drove it home from 27 yards out, marking the first time this season that Tampa Bay has scored on its opening drive.. Tampa Bay 3, Detroit 0.

Detroit's First Drive

On the ensuing kickoff, return man Desmond Howard fielded the ball at the goal line and brought it just over the 20-yard line to the 22.

Detroit tried a misdirection screen play to RB James Stewart on first down, but DE Chidi Ahanotu sniffed it out and knocked the ball down before it could get to Stewart. QB Charlie Batch tried to squeeze a pass in to WR Herman Moore on second down despite tight coverage from LB Alshermond Singleton, but it fell incomplete. On third-and-ten, good coverage downfield forced Batch to dump the ball off over the middle to Stewart, and he was stopped by LB Derrick Brooks four yards short of the sticks.

The Lions were thus forced to punt and Buccaneer WR Andre Hastings took John Jett's 54-yard kick at the Bucs' 18 and returned it 15 yards to the 33.

Tampa Bay's Second Drive

The Bucs' second drive started out even better than the first. Dunn took a handoff from King on first down and zipped untouched through the line of scrimmage and into the secondary. Dunn, in fact, wasn't touched until he was taken down 34 yards later at the Lions' 33.

On first down, King dropped back to pass but then tossed a shovel pass to Alstott, who picked up five yards before going down in a pile of tacklers. King's second-down attempt to go down the right sideline to Green fell incomplete, forcing a third-and-five attempt. That try came up just short, as Dunn took a middle screen from King and slipped to the ground trying to cut around Lions tacklers after a three-yard gain.

Gramatica came on for his second field goal try and hit again, this time from 43 yards out. Tampa Bay 6, Detroit 0.

Detroit's Second Drive

Gramatica kicked off to Howard again, and the Bucs' special teams noose closed even quicker this time, with RB Rabih Abdullah trapping Howard at the Lions' 15.

The Lions tried to get going on the ground this time around, handing off to Stewart for a five-yard gain off left guard. Batch dropped back to throw on second down and managed to get the throw off just before DT Warren Sapp knocked him down. Sapp disrupted the pass enough, however, to send it to the ground at the feet of Stewart for an incompletion.

The Bucs brought even more pressure on Batch on third down, as CB Ronde Barber's blitz kept Batch from completing a short pass to TE David Sloan. The Lions were forced to punt again, with Jett hitting a 44-yarder to Hastings at the 36. Hastings returned it six yards to give the Bucs a first down at their own 42.

Tampa Bay's Third Drive

The Bucs scoring touch eluded them on the next possession, unfortunately.

Dunn tried the left end on first down but lost a yard, then got five in the same direction on second down. On third-and-five, King had difficulty finding an open man after a deep drop and eventually tried to thread a touch pass to a well-covered Dunn. The incompletion forced Mark Royals' first punt of the day, which traveled 44 yards and was fair caught by Howard at the Lions' nine.

Detroit's Second Drive

The Lions went back to Stewart on first down, but his quick burst towards right tackle was stopped by CB Donnie Abraham and a red gang after a gain of just one. Batch found tight coverage on second down and was forced to scramble up the middle for a gain of six. On third-and-three, Detroit earned their first first down of the game when third-down back Mario Bates knifed past left tackle for a 12-yard gain to the 28.

With a new set of downs, Batch dropped back to pass again but was sacked by DE Marcus Jones as the pocket collapsed from all sides. That was the final play of the first quarter.

Second Quarter

A game that started out so promisingly went south in the second quarter as Detroit rallied from an eight-point deficit to tie the game at 11-11 before halftime. The Buccaneers wasted several fine scoring opportunities, including a potential touchdown on a blocked punt that eventually netted just two points.

Detroit's First Drive

Detroit opened the second quarter with a second-and-12 at their own 26 but were able to move the chains with a four yard run by RB James Stewart and a 12-yard Charlie Batch pass to TE David Sloan.

On the next first down, Stewart went off left guard but was ganged by linebackers Alshermond Singleton and Nate Webster after a pickup of two. An illegal use of the hands penalty pushed Detroit into a second-and-18, and a two-yard pass to Stewart helped little. On third-and-16, tight coverage forced Batch to try to escape the pocket, but DT Anthony McFarland sacked him for a two-yard loss.

The Lions were thus forced to punt, which ended up in another scoring opportunity for the Bucs. Tampa Bay's special teams brought a maximum rush on punter John Jett, and LB Nate Webster came straight up the middle to block it. The ball bounded towards the Detroit end zone and seemingly into the hands of CB Ronde Barber for an easy touchdown. However, Barber couldn't secure it and Detroit's Ron Rice recovered to reduce the damage to a safety. Tampa Bay 8, Detroit 0.

Tampa Bay's First Drive

The good feeling from the Bucs' third score didn't last long.

After the Lions were forced to kick off from their own 20 following the safety, WR Jacquez Green returned the kick to the Bucs' 38. On first down, however, FB Mike Alstott tried to earn extra yardage up the middle with a determined second effort but ended up fumbling. The loose ball bounded into Rice's hands and he took it six yards back to the Bucs' 37.

Detroit's Second Drive

The momentum continued to shift as Stewart ran up the middle for eight yards on first down. On second down, Batch threw a quick pass down the line of scrimmage to WR Johnnie Morton, who picked up four yards and a first down despite a nice one-on-one tackle by Barber.

Stewart opened the next set of downs with another run up the middle but got just two yards this time. Batch tried a screen pass to Stewart on second down but missed him, forcing third-and-eight. Batch stood in the pocket for a long time on third down, then tried to go to Sloan in the end zone. CB Brian Kelly broke up the pass, although seemed to miss a golden opportunity for an interception.

It got worse. Two straight Buccaneer penalties resulted in a Detroit first down as the Lions were trying to kick a field goal. With a new set of downs at the Bucs' 13, the Lions tried to get fancy, running an end-around to Morton, but Barber shut that down with a hard tackle for a loss of one yard. Stewart got the call on second down, but Webster stopped that try for no gain.

On third-and-11, Batch dropped to pass but DT Warren Sapp got to him almost immediately, knocking down the throw just as it left the quarterback's hands. Once again Jason Hanson lined up for a field goal, and this time the play went off without a hitch, with Hanson hitting from 32 yards out. Tampa Bay 8, Detroit 3.

Tampa Bay's Second Drive

RB Aaron Stecker got the Bucs off to a very good start on their next march, barreling up the middle and driving the pile all the way to the Bucs' 34. A personal foul penalty on Detroit's Corwin Brown added 15 more yards to the 49.

On first down, QB Shaun King dropped back and fired a pass to WR Keyshawn Johnson in the left flat for a 17-yard gain. On the next snap, Dunn picked up four yards sweeping around left end, but he lost two of them back trying to go right on the next play. On third-and-eight, King almost found Green deep on the right sideline, but Detroit CB Bryant Westbrook dove to knock it away.

Martin Gramatica came on for his third field goal try and calmly nailed it from 50 yards out to regain the Bucs' eight-point lead. Tampa Bay 11, Detroit 3.

Detroit's Second Drive

Lions return man Desmond Howard found a little more room to run on his third kick from Gramatica, shooting up the middle to the Lions' 30.

Batch encountered blanket coverage again trying to throw on first down, but was able to scramble to the left for a gain of 10 and a first down. On the next snap, Stewart swept right and picked up five yards before being stood up by S John Lynch.

On second-and-five, S John Lynch came up the middle untouched on a blitz, forcing Batch to throw the ball away. The Lions were able to convert on third down, however, when Batch found Morton cutting across the middle for an eight-yard gain across midfield to the Bucs' 46.

The Lions were flagged for a false start before the next snap, inching back into their own half of the field, and continued backward when DT Marcus Jones got his second sack of the game, a seven-yarder.

Batch went over the middle to Sloan on second down, but a huge blow from S John Lynch jarred the ball loose. However, Detroit was able to convert the ensuing third-and-22 when Batch rolled right to escape pressure, buying enough time to hit Morton for a 25-yard gain to the Bucs' 33. That play brought the clock down to the two-minute warning.

Stewart continued the march after the break by busting right up the middle for six yards. As the clocked ticked under 100 seconds, Batch handed to Stewart again and he got seven more to the Bucs' 20 for another first down. Detroit then called a timeout with 1:22 remaining.

Batch then faked a handoff to Stewart on the next snap and threw a pass to WR Herman Moore on the right side, with Moore picking up nine yards to the Bucs' 11. Stewart picked up six more and another set of downs with a seven-yard ramble to the Bucs' four.

The Lions scored on the next play, as the Bucs brought a heavy blitz up the middle and Stewart stepped over it into open territory, running up the middle for a four-yard touchdown. Stewart also barreled into the end zone on the resulting two-point try to tie the game. Tampa Bay 11, Detroit 11.

Third Quarter

Detroit kept possession of the momentum in the third quarter and scored the period's only points on a field goal. Each team had four possessions in the period, but another Detroit field goal was blocked and the Lions' initial three points were the only score, giving the visitors a 14-11 edge.

Detroit's First Drive

K Martin Gramatica kicked a bouncing liner to return man Desmond Howard at the Detroit three, and Howard flashed up the middle and to the left all the way to the Lions' 45. A personal foul on Gramatica then added 15 more yards to the tally, allowing Detroit to open up at the Bucs' 40.

On first down, QB Charlie Batch felt the pocket collapsing around him and tried to hit FB Cory Schlesinger over the middle, but it was broken up by S John Lynch and LB Derrick Brooks. RB James Stewart tried to run behind left tackle on second down, but slipped and picked up just two yards.

On third-and-eight, a combination of heavy pressure on a blitz and a diving breakup by CB Donnie Abraham prevented a completion to WR Herman Moore. The Lions then punted, with John Jett's kick just squeaking into the end zone.

Tampa Bay's First Drive

The Bucs thus began their next drive at the 20-yard line and got started with a four yard run by RB Warrick Dunn. However, QB Shaun King's next pass, intended for TE Dave Moore, was intercepted by CB Bryant Westbrook and returned to the Bucs' 19.

Detroit's Second Drive

That turnover set the stage for a bizarre negative-nine yard scoring drive for the Lions. On first down, Stewart got a handoff from Batch but was met a millisecond later by Lynch, who had shot through the middle untouched. That was a loss of three yards, and Batch threw incomplete on second down. On third-and-13, DT Warren Sapp dropped Batch for a six-yard sack. K Jason Hanson, however, converted the turnover into a scoring play with a 47-yard field goal. Detroit 14, Tampa Bay 11.

Tampa Bay's Second Drive

The Bucs started at their own 20 after a touchback on the ensuing kickoff. Before the first snap, Tampa Bay was flagged for a false start. On first-and-15, King escaped pressure in the pocket and scrambled left for seven yards. The next play appeared to be even better, a screen pass to FB Mike Alstott that picked up the first down, but it was nullified by a holding penalty.

On second-and-17, a confused Bucs offense was forced into a timeout. After the break, King dropped back and found WR Keyshawn Johnson over the middle, but a very hard hit by S Corwin Brown jarred the ball loose, knocking Johnson's helmet off and leaving receiver prone on the turf. A third-down pass by King was thrown away when no open men developed.

P Mark Royals came on for just his second punt of the afternoon and hit a beauty, nailing a 45-yarder that Howard caught just as he stepped out of bounds at the Lions' 37.

Detroit's Third Drive

Batch tried to go to the air on the Lions' next drive, but his first pass deep down the right sideline to WR Johnnie Morton sailed out of bounds. Batch never got his next pass off as he was sacked for a loss of seven by Sapp. After a false start penalty, Batch was engulfed again, this time by DT Marcus Jones, Jones' third of the night.

On fourth-and-31, the Lions had to punt, and WR Andre Hastings took Jett's kick at the Bucs' 38.

Tampa Bay's Third Drive

On first down, King backed out of a deflating pocket and rolled right, throwing a pass to TE Patrick Hape on the sideline. It was dropped, however, as Hape tried to keep his feet in bounds. A screen pass to Dunn picked up three yards, but the drive ended when King and WR Jacquez Green appeared to get crossed up on a route call, leading to an incompletion.

Royals then lofted a 46-yard punt that Howard took at the 13 and returned to the 19.

Detroit's Fourth Drive

Stewart trucked up the middle for six yards on first down and the Lions moved the sticks on second down when Schlesinger caught an eight-yard screen pass. Stewart then swept left on first down and picked up five yards.

The Lions tried to string the Bucs' defense out to the right on the next play, but Sapp broke through the line of scrimmage to stop Stewart for a loss of two. On third-and-seven, RB Mario Bates got a handoff up the middle and turned it into a nine-yard gain and a first down at the Detroit 45.

A gang of Buc tacklers stopped Stewart on the left side after a three-yard gain on the next snap. The Lions got into Tampa Bay territory on the next snap when a reverse to Morton picked up 15 yards and a first down at the Bucs' 37.

Batch executed a nice play-action fake on the next snap and threw left to a wide-open Walter Rasby for nine yards. Bates got another first down with a three-yard carry up the middle. CB Donnie Abraham didn't bite on a pump-and-go on the next first down, breaking up a floater intended for Moore near the goal line.

Stewart got two on second down, setting up a third-and-eight. Batch's next pass tipped off about three hands, both Buccaneer and Lion-owned, but fell incomplete in the end zone. Detroit settled for a 40-yard field goal try, and was denied any points when DT Marcus Jones blocked the kick.

Tampa Bay's Fourth Drive

After recovering the blocked kick at their own 33, the Bucs started with a one-yard Dunn run that had five yards tacked onto the end due to a facemask penalty. The quarter then came to an end.

Fourth Quarter

For the fourth straight game, the Buccaneers were on the short end of a fourth-quarter struggle. Detroit scored two touchdowns in the final period, one of an interception and one off a Bucs possession that ended on downs. Those scores turned a tie ballgame into a 28-14 Lion victory.

Tampa Bay's First Drive

With a favorable first-and-four to work with at the Bucs' 39, Tampa Bay struck quickly with a 16-yard pass to WR Keyshawn Johnson. Johnson held on at the Lions' 45 despite being flipped by Terry Fair's tackle. Fair also stopped the Bucs' next passcatcher, TE Dave Moore, but not before Moore picked up six more yards.

On second-and-four the Bucs picked up two yards on an Alstott run up the middle, then brought in the power package for third-and-two. However, QB Shaun King rolled right on the snap and tried to hit Johnson on a quick buttonhook. CB Bryant Westbrook broke it up at the last second.

Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy then gambled, sending on K Martin Gramatica for a 55-yard field goal try. Gramatica hit it to set a new career high and tie the game. Tampa Bay 14, Detroit 14.

Detroit's First Drive

Perhaps pumped by his big kick, Gramatica forced Detroit into a touchback on the kickoff. On first down, RB James Stewart blasted up the middle for five yards, but he was stopped for no gain trying to do it again on second down. After Buccaneer LB Derrick Brooks limped off the field, QB Charlie Batch fired a quick slant pass to WR Brian Stablein for a seven-yard gain and a first down.

Stewart got the call again on first down and picked up three yards up the middle. Batch was forced out of the pocket on second down but nearly hit WR Herman Moore down the right sideline. Moore bobbled the ball, however, and was not in possession before he went out of bounds. On third-and-seven, DT Marcus Jones caught Batch in the backfield for his fourth sack of the game, a new Buccaneer record.

Tampa Bay's Second Drive

King tried to go to the air to start the Bucs next drive but ended up running twice, scrambling for three yards on first down and six on second down. On third-and-one, King faked a handoff to Alstott and rolled right. Finding no one initially open, King tried to force on to Johnson and ended up throwing it into the hands of LB Chris Claiborne for an interception at the Lions' 46.

Detroit's Second Drive

After the pick, Detroit got an 11-yard run by Stewart but had it erased by a holding penalty. Batch tried to throw a shovel pass to Stewart on first down but it fell incomplete.

Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, the next pass worked better for Detroit, a quick slant to Morton that the receiver caught on the fly and took 33 yards to the Bucs' 31.

On first down, Stewart got just one yard, but Batch went back to Morton on another slant and picked up 14 yards to the Bucs' 16. After another one-yard Stewart run, Batch tried a play-action but had to throw it away under pressure. On third-and-nine, Batch converted another third down by throwing over the middle to Mario Bates for 11 yards to the Bucs' four. Stewart took it up the middle on the next snap for his second four-yard TD of the game. Detroit 21, Tampa Bay 14.

Tampa Bay's Third Drive

On the ensuing kickoff, RB Aaron Stecker tried to line up behind a Buccaneer wedge but was tripped up by Larry Foster at the Bucs' 16.

The Bucs got moving right away, however, when King threw a strike to a leaping Jacquez Green for 14 yards to the 30. Green caught another pass on the next snap, picking up eight more, but King's next pass was slightly behind Johnson and incomplete. Green was open on third down but King's pass was too high, forcing a fourth-and-one.

Forced to go for it with just 3:18 remaining, King rolled right and tried to fit one in to Green. It was knocked away by Westbrook.

Detroit's Third Drive

Needing only to drain the final 3:12, Detroit pitched to Stewart and got a one-yard gain on first down. The game was effectively ended on Stewart's next carry when he broke free up the middle and gained 34 yards to the Bucs' three. Two more Stewart carries up the middle earned the Detroit back his third TD of the game. Detroit 28, Tampa Bay 14.

Tampa Bay's Fourth Drive

The Bucs started on their own 18 and got moving with an eight-yard pass to TE Dave Moore, who ran out of bounds to stop the clock. King got away from a heavy rush on second down and was able to scramble 18 yards and get out of bounds.

A hook-and-lateral from King to Moore to Dunn on the next snap picked up 12 more and out to Johnson was good for 11 on the next play. Another 10-yard pass to Johnson got the ball down to the Lions' 23, and King spiked the ball to kill the clock. King then tried to pump fake and throw into the end zone, but CB Bryant Westbrook intercepted the pass.

Detroit's Fourth Drive

The Lions knelt one time to kill the clock and end the game.