Tampa Bay Buccaneers score late touchdown to beat the St. Louis Rams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman helped his team come from behind and snatch an 18-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday with a late scoring drive for a touchdown.
How it happened
The Tampa Buccaneers trailed 17-6 going into half-time courtesy of two touchdown passes by quarterback Sam Bradford, and running back Steven Jackson's solid effort running the ball for 110 yards on 22
carries.
Buccaneers kicker Connor Barth kept his team in the game with a series of unanswered field goals from 39, 53, and 38 yards, paving the way for Freeman to orchestrate a 16-play, 81-yard drive late in the
game.
The Buccaneers got the game winning touchdown on second down when they had possession of the ball on the one-yard line. Freeman took the snap and rolled out to his right before firing a pass into Cadillac
Williams with only 17 seconds to go.
The Rams made a desperate attempt to win the game with the one play they had left but came up well short.
What they're saying
The Buccaneers bounced back after getting beat up 31-6 the previous week by the New Orleans Saints leading a jubilant Bucs head coach, Raheem Morris, to exclaim: "We're the best team in the NFC. Yeah,
I said it. We're the best team in the NFC."
With his 110-yard performance Jackson became the Rams' all-time leading rusher, but was disappointed that the record came in a game that his team lost.
"It's bittersweet," he said. "It's something that I've worked really hard for, for a long time – a goal that I actually set coming in as a rookie in 2004.
"So to achieve it means a lot. I just really wish that we were able to cap it off with a win. It's kind of hard to be celebrating about an individual's success when it's a team sport."
Rams rookie quarterback Sam Bradford also shared his disappointment about how his team blew a late lead, "This one hurts a lot," he said. "To be up 17-3 at one point, to be up 17-6 at half, and then come
out and just really not be able to get anything going on offense, this one's tough."
What it all means
Although Morris will claim his team is the best in the NFC that distinction actually belongs to division rivals, the Atlanta Falcons, who are a win better than Bucs although Tampa does have a game in hand.
At 4-2 the Buccaneers now travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals.
The St. Louis Rams fall to 3-4 on the season and take on the 1-5 Carolina Panthers next Sunday.
Tags: