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5 Plays That Made A Difference

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By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 22, 2008

Tipped Pass Helped Bears

A bad start for the Bucs only got worse when Brian Griese dropped back to pass on a second-and-17 play from his own 12-yard line early in the first quarter. Griese was looking to throw a quick screen to B.J. Askew, but his soft toss over the line of scrimmage was tipped by Brian Urlacher and then intercepted by Lance Briggs. Briggs didn't get much of a return and the Bucs defense did its job, stopping the Bears after just three plays, including a sack of Bears quarterback Kyle Orton on their third offensive play. Still, the Bears were able to grab the momentum and take an early lead when PK Robbie Gould drilled a 40-yard field goal to give the Bears a 3-0 lead.

Completions Led To 1st TD

The Bucs finally got their offense rolling the third time they got the ball. They were trailing 6-0 by then, but when QB Brian Griese hit TE Jerramy Stevens with a pass that Stevens carried for 31 yards to the Bears 18, the Bucs had taken back the momentum. Five plays later they had the lead, too, that coming on a 4-yard pass to Ike Hilliard. The Bucs had a lot of big plays in that drive, including a 14-yard pass to Antonio Bryant to start it and an 18-yard run by Warrick Dunn to keep it going. The key, though, came in answering the Bears two field goals with a touchdown and that happened on the third-and-goal play from the 4 in which Griese hit Hilliard just over the goal line.

Ruud Makes A Key Theft

The Bucs were in a bit of a bind early in the second quarter. They had just given the ball back to Chicago on a Maurice Stovall fumble and the Bears were setting up for a second-and-6 play at the Bucs 34. The Bears went for it all on that play, throwing deep to rookie RB Matt Forte, who had the ball drop right into his numbers as he side-pedaled into the end zone. But Forte had Bucs LB Barrett Ruud in his face, and it didn't matter that Ruud wasn't even looking at the ball. As Ruud swung blindly he knocked the ball out of Forte's hands and into his own. As he fell to the ground, Ruud secured the interception that kept the Bears off the scoreboard and preserved Tampa Bay's 7-6 lead.

Gaines' Pick Produces TD

The two defenses took control of the play in the second quarter and as the quarter drew to a close the Bucs defense took the upper hand in that battle. An interception by Ruud prevented a touchdown early in the quarter but that play was topped two drives later when second-year DE Gaines Adams secured a pick of his own. What made Adams' pick better was the fact that he returned his 45 yards for a touchdown, his hand breaking the plane as his feet were knocked out of bounds by QB Kyle Orton. The pick was the first of Adams' career. The TD was also the first ever for Adams, whose big play gave the Bucs a 14-6 edge with 5:26 to play in the half.

Penalty Kept Drive Alive

The Bucs' second overtime possession didn't start off very well. An incomplete pass and a 1-yard run by Dunn saddled the Bucs with a third-and-9 play from their own 8. That play didn't go very well either, with Griese hitting Stevens for a 2-yard gain. It was on that play, though, that Charles Tillman lost his cool and started a fight that resulted in the Bears taking a 15-yard personal foul penalty that turned what would have been a fourth-and-6 play into a first-and-10 at the Bucs' 25. Given that second chance, the Bucs moved slowly downfield to the point where PK Matt Bryant was allowed to kick his chip-shot 21-yard field game-winning field goal.

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