FB Mike Alstott had his second straight outstanding game, gaining 80 yards on 14 carries and scoring his 11th touchdown
For the second straight weekend, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers thrilled their home crowd with a passionate effort, downing the defending Super Bowl champs six days after demolishing New Orleans.
Buc fans were simply delighted by the victory, which basically put their team into the playoffs. But there were a lot of individual performances to celebrate, as well. The Bucs' official postgame notes, distributed to the media in the press box after the Bucs' 22-10 win over Baltimore, are found below.
Dexter to the Rescue: FS Dexter Jackson made one of many big plays by the Bucs defense when he sacked Grbac on a third-down play just prior to the two-minute warning. He added another sack in the game, giving him a career-best two after entering the contest with one career sack.
Offensive Line Untouchable: For the second consecutive week, Tampa Bay's offensive line contained one of the league's top defenses. The Bucs did not allow a sack to a Ravens defense that had totaled 40 sacks entering the game, tied for fourth in the league. Last week the Bucs did not allow a sack to a New Orleans squad which entered the game with a NFL-best 49 sacks.
A-Train Keeps Rolling: FB Mike Alstott sealed Tampa Bay's victory with a 32-yard touchdown run in the final two minutes of the game. The touchdown was the 40th rushing score of his career and also gives him 50 total touchdowns (40 rushing, 10 receiving), both tops in club history. On the day, Alstott rushed for 80 yards on 14 carries. He leads the 2001 squad with 11 TDs (10 rushing, one receiving), with the 10 rushing TDs surpassing his career-high of eight in 1998. The 11 total scores surpasses his previous career-high of 10 TDs (seven rushing, three receiving) in 1997 and also rank tied for the second-best single-season mark in team history. His 11 rushing TDs also are tied for second in a single season in the Bucs record book. Tampa Bay is 33-7 when Alstott scores a touchdown.
Big Play Barber: CB Ronde Barber wasted no time adding to his record-breaking season when he intercepted Ravens QB Elvis Grbac on the first series of the game. The interception was the 10th of the year for Barber, breaking the club's single-season record of nine interceptions by Cedric Brown in 1981. Barber also becomes the first player in the league with 10 INTs since Mark Carrier in 1990. Barber's 10 INTs have shattered his total of six career picks in his first four NFL seasons entering 2001 and his 16 career interceptions rank eighth in team history.
Brooks' Bunch: LB Derrick Brooks helped extend Tampa Bay's first half lead when he returned an interception 53 yards to the one-yard line in the second quarter. QB Brad Johnson scored on a quarterback sneak two plays later to give Tampa Bay a 16-7 lead. The interception was Brooks' third INT in 2001 and the 12th of his career, moving him into a tie for ninth place on the club's all-time list.
Block Party: Second-year TE Todd Yoder made another big impact on special teams when he blocked Kyle Richardson's punt in the second quarter, leading to a Bucs field goal. Yoder, who entered the game ranked tied for fifth on the club with 10 special teams tackles, has added two catches for 28 yards this season. Earlier this month, Yoder scored his first career touchdown at Cincinnati (12/2) when he returned Ronde Barber's blocked punt 11 yards for a touchdown.
Rice Cooker: DE Simeon Rice posted his team-leading 11th sack of the year in the second quarter with a 14-yard sack of Grbac. Rice has 10 sacks in his last eight games, including eight in the last five games.
New Kid on the Block: K Doug Brien, who was signed by the Bucs on Thursday, connected on three of his four field goal tries with a 42-yarder in the first quarter, and 38 and 24-yarders in the second quarter, as well as one PAT. Brien, in his eighth NFL season, has played for San Francisco (1994-95), New Orleans (1995-2000) and Indianapolis (2001) in his career.
Monday Night Madness: The Bucs are 6-4 on Monday Night, including 5-1 at home. The Bucs downed the Rams earlier this season, 24-17 at St. Louis on November 26 in its other Monday Night appearance.
Record Breakers: With 13 pass completions tonight, Tampa Bay established a club single-season record, breaking the previous mark of 334 in 1984. Tampa Bay now has 340 completions in 2001.
Home Sweet Home: The Bucs are 13-1 under Dungy at home in December, including 10-0 at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay has posted a 24-7 regular season mark at RJS and the Bucs' 18-5 home mark since 1999 ranks among the top five in the NFL.
Injury Update: DE Marcus Jones suffered a sprained right shoulder in the first quarter and did not return.
Buc Shots: The Buccaneers own a 30-17 mark since the start of the 1999 season, a winning percentage that ranks fourth in the league… With its two interceptions, Tampa Bay has now forced at least one turnover in every game this season, including at least one interception in 14 of 15 games (all but Detroit at home)... Overall the Bucs have forced a turnover in 24 straight regular season games dating back to last season… WR Keyshawn Johnson has now caught at least one pass in all 93 games of his career… With its five sacks, Tampa Bay has now recorded at least one sack in 43 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL... The last time the Bucs failed to notch at least one sack was at Minnesota on October 3, 1999 in a 21-14 loss... The longest streak in the NFL prior to the Bucs' current run was by the Denver Broncos from 1995-98, a span of 50 consecutive games.
