Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue winning form with a 34-24 win over San Diego Chargers – NFL Recap
Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ up-tempo offence gave them another victory as they beat San Diego Chargers 34-24 in Week 10 on Sunday, November 11, 2012, at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida.
Chargers (4-5) got their fourth defeat in five games as they again failed to finish the game with a lead. They got many opportunities to take the charge in the final quarter, but missed most of them.
Buccaneers (5-4) excelled in every corner of the game as both the defence and the special team scored giving the team its third consecutive win.
The overall performance of the team was outstanding as they scored every time Chargers looked to strengthen the lead. According to the Associated Press, Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano said:
"Our guys played team football. That's what we needed to do. It's like a pitcher when he goes out there. Maybe he doesn't have his fastball that day, but he works the whole game with different pitches and battles through it. That's what our team did, held
each other up."
It was Buccaneers’ fifth game in a row in which they scored at least 28 points, breaking the franchise record.
The offence continued its splendid form as quarterback Josh Freeman scored two touchdowns and finished the game with 14 of 20 for 210 yards.
In last five games, Freeman has scored as many as 13 touchdowns and has thrown just one interception.
Chargers offence worked hard throughout the game. Despite covering way more yards and having possession most of the time, the offence was unable to get scoring moves. During the post-game press conference, Chargers head coach Norv Turner said:
"It's not acceptable to play hard and not win, and that's what happened. That's not what we're trying to accomplish out there. We're trying to go win games, and those things are keeping us from winning."
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers completed 29 out of 37 passes for 337 yards and scored three touchdowns, but his two interceptions in the fourth quarter put all his hard work in vain.
Chargers got the lead in the first quarter with a touchdown pass from Rivers, but the advantage was soon nullified by a touchdown from Buccaneers. The quarter ended with Rivers getting another touchdown to take the score to 14-7.
Buccaneers made a comeback in the second quarter as they scored a field goal followed by a touchdown to take the lead 17-14. Then Chargers got ahead with Rivers’ third touchdown to finish first half 21-17.
In the third quarter, Buccaneers’ stout defence kept Chargers’ offence quiet which helped Freeman throw his second touchdown pass of the day to end the third quarter with 24-21 score line.
Buccaneers then went on to strengthen their lead, thanks to cornerback Leonard Johnson who returned an interception for 83 yards to score a touchdown.
Although Chargers got a field goal later on, it was of no benefit as Buccaneers kicker Connor Bath scored a field goal to finish the game 34-24.
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