NFL WEEK IN REVIEW - WEEK 17

Week 17 - NFL Week In Review

Week 17 REVIEW - Final Score: Denver 23, San Diego 7

San Diego, CA - (MySportsbook.com) - Tatum Bell scored three rushing touchdowns to lead the Denver Broncos over the San Diego Chargers, 23-7, at Qualcomm Stadium in the regular-season finale for both clubs. Bell ended with just 52 yards rushing for Denver (13-3), which had trouble putting together a huge offensive effort due to rainy conditions. The Broncos defense, however, provided the spark for the AFC West champions. Safety John Lynch forced a pair of fumbles on his two sacks and both plays led to points for the Broncos, whose defense had six total sacks, a safety and injured San Diego stating QB Drew Brees. Brees suffered a right shoulder injury in the second quarter and did not return. Second-year signal-caller Philip Rivers came on for Brees and finished 12-of-22 for 115 yards with an interception. He orchestrated San Diego's lone TD drive in what could've been a chance for him to showcase his talents in the event the Chargers trade him this off-season.

LaDanian Tomlinson ended with 92 yards and a TD rushing and Eric Parker had 87 receiving yards for the Chargers (9-7), who ended their season with consecutive losses. The Broncos entered the game having already clinched the second seed in the AFC and a first-round bye in the upcoming playoffs, but with this win helped keep Kansas City's slim playoff hopes alive. A victory by the Chargers, who were eliminated from postseason contention last week, would have ended the Chiefs playoff drive. Now, Kansas City has to win on Sunday against Cincinnati and needs the Steelers to lose at home to Detroit in order to make it to the postseason. The Broncos started the scoring in the second quarter when Bell ended a nine- play, 77-yard drive with a six-yard burst for a score at the 11:48 mark.

Lynch helped setup the Broncos' second TD when he sacked Brees, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Denver at the Chargers' one-yard line. Brees suffered a right shoulder injury when trying to recover the fumble. San Diego did not release Brees' status. He ended 8-of-14 for 68 yards. On the first play after the fumble, Bell ran up the middle to increase the lead to 14-0 with 3:24 remaining until halftime. Rivers came on for the Chargers to start the next possession and his presence resulted in a touchdown drive. Tomlinson ended the 10-play, 69-yard drive with a six-yard run on 4th-and-1 with 38 seconds left until the break. In the third quarter, Lynch again broke through the line and hit Rivers in the end zone. The hit forced a fumble and Chargers' offensive lineman Shane Olivea fell on the ball and was tackled by Denver defensive end Demetrin Veal for a safety and a 16-7 cushion.

Finally, in the fourth, Curome Cox's first career interception set up Bell's third TD. Cox returned the pick to Chargers' 34-yard line and a face mask penalty on Rivers on the tackle of Cox brought the ball 15 yards closer. Then, again on the first play, Bell broke through for the 19 yard score and a comfortable 23-7 win. Denver starting QB Jake Plummer did not play the second half. He ended 8-of-14 for 91 yards. Backup Bradlee Van Pelt came on in relief and ended just 2-of-8 for seven yards. He also had 41 yards rushing. "Obviously we started slow, but we moved the ball down and scored," said Plummer. "We weren't really efficient, but we did bounce back after the first quarter and had some good drives. We would've liked to be more crisp, but that's a tough defense we played."

Game Notes

The 13 wins were the most for the Broncos since 1998's 14-2 campaign...Ron Dayne led the Broncos with 64 rushing yards...Bell ended the season with 921 rushing yards...SD linebacker Shawne Merriman increased his rookie-leading sack total to 10...Denver enters the postseason having won four straight games...Tomlinson set a Chargers single-season record with 20 TDs this season.

Week 17 REVIEW - Final Score: NY Giants 30, Oakland 21

Oakland, CA - (MySportsbook.com) - Tiki Barber rushed for 203 yards, including a team-record 95-yard touchdown in the first quarter, as the New York Giants clinched the NFC East division with a 30-21 victory over Oakland at McAfee Coliseum. The Giants (11-5) received a number of big plays to wrap up their first division crown since 2000. In addition to Barber's record-setting run, Plaxico Burress caught a 78-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning and Chad Morton set up another score with a 58-yard punt return in the third quarter. Barber eclipsed 200 yards in a game for the third time this season and passed Seattle's Shaun Alexander to become the NFL's current leading rusher this season. The Pro Bowl back now has 1,860 for the year. "Behind (San Diego's) LaDainian Tomlinson, he is probably one of the best," said Raiders linebacker Danny Clark of Barber. "He showed it today."

Manning completed just 12-of-24 attempts but put up 204 yards through the air for New York, which will host an opening-round playoff game next weekend. Burress finished with 128 yards on five catches, while Barber added 60 on six grabs. "We definitely went the way we wanted it to go," said Burress on his team's regular-season success. "Tiki can take us as far as we want to go. We have to rally around him and win football games." The Giants' win also secured a playoff spot for Tampa Bay, which can win the NFC South with a victory over New Orleans on Sunday. Former Giant Kerry Collins, facing his ex-mates for the first time before being cut loose by the team prior to last season, threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-48 passing for the Raiders (4-12), whose miserable 2005 season ended with six straight losses.

"The whole season has been disappointing, but I am proud of the way guys hung in there and fought," Collins said afterward. "I know that guys came to play tonight and it was unfortunate that things didn't work out in our favor." Randy Moss caught two of Collins' scoring tosses and had seven receptions for 116 yards. Doug Gabriel hauled in a career-best eight passes for 100 yards along with a touchdown in the loss. With the Giants backed up to their own five-yard line midway through the first quarter and the game scoreless, Barber took a handoff and ran around left tackle before breaking free down the left sideline with the aid of a great block from Burress. "After I got to Plaxico's block and he kept coming with me, I knew that there was no way that anyone was going to catch me," Barber said.

Barber's long score broke the Giants' 75-year-old record of 91 yards set by Hap Moran on November 23, 1930 against Green Bay. Collins then drove the Raiders downfield on the ensuing possession to tie it. The veteran quarterback completed 5-of-6 throws for 62 yards on the series, including a pair of third-down strikes to Jerry Porter, and capped it when he found Moss in the back of the end zone from 15 yards out with 3:33 left in the opening period. New York moved back ahead on Jay Feely's 25-yard field goal early in the second quarter, which ended an 11-play, 63-yard march. A 20-yard catch by Burress, which was originally ruled incomplete but reversed on a challenge, brought the Giants to the Oakland 10 before the drive stalled. Following a Raiders punt, Manning delivered a strike to Burress down the middle, and the big wideout shook free of a defender and raced untouched for a 78-yard touchdown that put New York up 17-7.

The Giants scored again on their next offensive set, as two Manning completions to Barber for 28 and 16 yards, respectively, put the visitors in range for Feely's 38-yard field goal just after the two-minute warning. However, that was more than enough time for the Raiders to close the gap. Collins drilled a 23-yard pass to Gabriel on Oakland's next play, and the pair would hook up four times on the drive, the last being an eight-yard score which pulled Oakland within 20-14 with 19 seconds left in the half. Both defenses dominated the early portion of the third quarter until Morton gave New York a spark by breaking loose on a punt return and scampering 58 yards until being brought down at the three-yard line. Two plays later, Brandon Jacobs plowed into the end zone from a yard away to make it a 13-point bulge with 3:28 remaining in the period. It took Oakland exactly one minute to respond. After a 20-yard grab by Porter, Collins hit Moss in stride with a deep pass for a 44-yard touchdown which cut the deficit to 27-21.

Morton then took back the ensuing kickoff 34 yards to near midfield, and a 17- yard Manning-to-Burress connection set up Feely's third field goal of the night, a 46-yarder in the initial seconds of the fourth quarter. Oakland made one last comeback attempt, driving down to the Giants one-yard line with under four minutes left. However, Zach Crockett was stopped three consecutive times before Collins was stuffed by rookie Justin Tuck at the goal line on fourth down with 2:31 to go.

Game Notes

Barber's touchdown run was also the longest allowed ever by the Raiders, surpassing an 88-yarder by Alexander on November 11, 2001...Barber also passed Rodney Hampton for first place in team history with his 50th career rushing score...Oakland's Derrick Burgess took down Manning in the third quarter for his 16th sack of the season, breaking Sean Jones' club record of 15 1/2 set in 1986...Moss recorded the seventh 1,000-yard receiving season of his eight-year career...Raiders offensive tackle Robert Gallery was knocked out of the game in the first quarter with a damaged right fibula after his leg was fell on by a Giants player...New York's Michael Strahan left briefly in the second half when he was poked in his left eye by Oakland's Chad Slaughter, but did return.

Week 17 Review - Final Score: Indianapolis 17, Arizona 13

Indianapolis, IN - (MySportsbook.com) - Jim Sorgi threw a pair of touchdown passes and the Indianapolis Colts made a goal line stand in the closing seconds to give head coach Tony Dungy a victory in his return to the sideline with a 17-13 triumph over Arizona at the RCA Dome. Dungy missed last week's game against Seattle following the death of his son, but returned to the team this week after Tuesday's funeral. The Colts (14-2) bounced back from a pair of losses after starting the season with 13 straight wins and will have next week off before hosting a divisional round playoff game on January 14 or 15. The team set a franchise record for victories in a season, topping the old mark of 13 set in 1968 and matched in 1999. "It was great to be back out there, great to get our 14th win and now we can go in there and look ahead to the playoffs," said Dungy, who received a game ball from his players. "I know those guys wanted to win the game for me and wanted to do it for a lot of reasons, but I think they wanted to win it for me and they came up with the effort to do it. It was special."

With home-field advantage assured weeks ago, Dungy treated this game much like a preseason contest. Star running back Edgerrin James was a healthy scratch and quarterback Peyton Manning played only the first series, while defensive stars Bob Sanders, Cato June, Corey Simon and Robert Mathis were also rested with nagging injuries. "We knew we were going to use a lot of players today and to go out and get our 14th win, and do it in that fashion, it was just tremendous," Dungy added. The Cardinals (5-11) couldn't take advantage of Indy's second-stringers and wrapped up another dismal season. Arizona, coming off a victory last week against Philadelphia, failed to win consecutive games during the season and finished one game worse than last year's 6-10 mark in Dennis Green's first year. Arizona, though, nearly pulled it off and only a reversed call on a touchdown denied the Cardinals a win.

A fourth-down pass from Josh McCown to Obafemi Ayanbadejo set up a first down for the Cardinals at the Indianapolis 10-yard line. Arizona then reached the one, but Marcel Shipp was stopped for no gain on third down. McCown appeared to sneak into the end zone on the next play as his helmet reached the goal line and the officials signaled touchdown with 13 seconds remaining. The play was reviewed for several minutes before it was determined that the ball did not break the plane of the end zone. "He didn't get in," said Green. "I don't know what took the officials so long, but the ball did not cross the plane on the first replay I saw." McCown completed 31-of-42 passes for 297 yards with a touchdown and an interception in defeat. Anquan Boldin had eight catches for 81 yards and Larry Fitzgerald added six catches for 80 yards with a score.

Kicker Neil Rackers booted a pair of field goals to give him an NFL record 40 for the season, breaking the old record of 39 set by Miami's Olindo Mare in 1999 and Jeff Wilkins of St. Louis in 2003. The Colts won despite rushing for only 11 yards, but Sorgi completed 21-of-31 passes for 207 yards with an interception. Manning was on the field for the opening series and completed 1-of-2 passes for five yards. He was also sacked on third down, and Sorgi played the remainder of the contest. Sorgi led the Colts to the first touchdown of the game, completing all four of his passes for 49 yards. A 14-yard scoring toss to tight end Ben Utecht gave Indianapolis a 7-0 lead with 4:44 left in the opening quarter.

The Cardinals answered with a 15-play drive, but managed only a 28-yard field goal by Rackers early in the second quarter. After a trade of punts, the teams then traded interceptions. Sorgi was picked off by James Darling, who returned the interception 15 yards to the Indianapolis seven. Two plays later, McCown was picked off by Gilbert Gardner just in front of the goal line. The turnover led to a 44-yard field goal by Mike Vanderjagt to give the Colts a 10-3 edge with 2:41 left in the half. Sorgi threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Troy Walters on Indianapolis' first series of the third quarter, but Arizona answered when McCown found Fitzgerald with a 25-yard scoring pass to make it 17-10.

Arizona got the ball back after a punt and marched 70 yards on 16 plays, but the 8 1/2-minute drive yielded only a 42-yard field goal by Rackers to make it a four-point game early in the fourth quarter. "That was another close game that we just couldn't win at the end," said Green. "There were a lot of things that should have happened to give us a chance to win that ballgame. The guys played hard and we'll start tomorrow as far as putting together a better team for next year."

Game Notes

Fitzgerald finished with a club-record 103 catches, surpassing the old mark of 101 set by Larry Centers in 1995 and matched by Boldin in 2003...Marvin Harrison returned to the lineup for Indianapolis after missing last week's game with a hand injury. He had two catches for 19 yards before leaving the contest in the first half.

Week 17 Review - Final Score: NY Jets 30, Buffalo 26

East Rutherford, NJ - (MySportsbook.com) - Justin Miller's 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter lifted the New York Jets to 30-26 victory over the Buffalo Bills in the season-finale for both teams at the Meadowlands. Ty Law intercepted three passes and Mark Brown returned another pick for a touchdown, as the Jets (4-12) ended a dismal season by snapping a two-game losing streak. Brooks Bollinger completed 11-of-20 passes for 153 yards and Laveranues Coles caught four passes for 79 yards for the Jets, while Cedric Houston ran for a score in the victory. "I think it's huge [the win], just when you've done it so few times this year and it's such a credit to those guys in that locker room," said Bollinger. "I don't think people really understand how hard it is to go through the season we've had and just continue to come back every week and go out there and lay everything on the line, but those are the kind of guys we have in there."

Buffalo quarterback Kelly Holcomb threw a pair of touchdown passes, but was also intercepted four times. He connected on 23-of-37 passes for 184 yards and Willis McGahee rushed for 113 yards on 22 carries for the Bills (5-11), who lost six of their last seven games. Eric Moulds finished with eight catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. Buffalo took the lead, 26-23, on Rian Lindell's 36-yard field goal with 6:13 to play. However, Miller's ensuing kickoff return up the right sideline put New York in front for good. Buffalo still had time and its next series ended in Jet territory when Holcomb was sacked by John Abraham on fourth down. The Bills got the ball back one more time with under a minute to play, but Law picked off Holcomb to seal the victory.

The Bills opened the scoring on Lindell's 21-yard field goal early in the first quarter, which ended an eight-play, 53-yard march. The series started with Lee Evans' 39-yard reverse, putting Buffalo in excellent field position before the drive stalled. On the first play of the Bills' next offensive series, Law intercepted Holcomb's pass and returned it to Buffalo's 44-yard line. The Jets tied the game on Mike Nugent's career-long 49-yard field goal with under five minutes left in the first quarter. Lindell's 24-yard field goal capped an 11-play, 62-yard drive to put the Bills ahead less than a minute into the second quarter. McGahee rushed for 29 yards on six touches during the possession. New York began its next drive on Buffalo's 46-yard line after a 23-yard kickoff return from Miller and a 15-yard face-mask penalty. On the next play Bollinger hit Coles with a 43-yard pass to set up Houston for a three-yard touchdown run to give the Jets a 10-6 edge.

Moments later, New York went up 17-6 on Brown's 33-yard interception return for a touchdown with 13:15 left in the half. The Bills narrowed the gap to 17-13 late in the second quarter on a 10-play, 67-yard drive, capped by a 22-yard touchdown catch by Moulds. With nearly three minutes elapsed in the third period, Buffalo cut the deficit to 17-16 on Lindell's 52-yard field goal. The Jets responded with their own scoring drive, a 13-play, 69-yard possession highlighted by Jerricho Cotchery's third down 45-yard catch that resulted in a Nugent 25-yard field goal. The Bills came right back and took the lead, 23-20, as Holcomb connected with Roscoe Parrish on a three-yard slant in the end zone with under a minute left in the third quarter.

Nugent's 34-yard field goal tied the game early in the final frame, as Bollinger kept the drive alive on a pair of third-down conversions, an eight- yard quarterback keeper and a 19-yard completion to Coles.

Game Notes Jets running back Derrick Blaylock played for the first time since suffering a broken foot on October 9 against Tampa Bay...Law's 10 interceptions were a career high and the most by a Jet since Dainard Paulson's 12 in 1964...New York finished with its worst record since the 1-15 season under Rich Kotite in 1996...The Jets scored 30 points for the first time this season...Abraham reached double-digit sacks for the third time in his career. He has 53 1/2 sacks and surpassed Mo Lewis for fourth-most in franchise history...The Bills had 21 first downs, compared to 12 for New York.

Week 17 Review - Final Score: Pittsburgh 35, Detroit 21

Pittsburgh, PA (MySportsbook.com) - Willie Parker sprinted for 135 yards and Jerome Bettis ran for three touchdowns, as the Pittsburgh Steelers clinched a playoff spot with a 35-21 victory over the Detroit Lions at Heinz Field.In what could have been the final home stop on the Bus' career tour, the bruising back picked up 41 yards on 10 carries and supported a Steelers' ground game that racked up 199 yards. Ben Roethlisberger was just 7-of-16 for 135 yards with two interceptions, but the special teams picked up the slack. Antwaan Randle El returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown and Ricardo Colclough's 63-yard kickoff return set up another score in the victory. Pittsburgh (11-5) won its final four games of the regular season to lock up the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs. It will make the short trip to AFC North rival Cincinnati next Sunday. The teams split two games this season, with the Steelers winning 27-13 at Paul Brown Stadium on October 23. "This will be our third time playing them. They're explosive. They played well defensively down the stretch," Steelers head coach Bill Cowher said. "There will be a lot of excitement in that stadium. It's a big challenge for us. We certainly have to play better than the last time we played them and better defensively than how we played today."

Joey Harrington completed 17-of-33 passes for 212 yards with three touchdowns and Kevin Jones ran for 78 yards in the loss. "I thought Joey played a good game, a strong game and he handled things well." Detroit interim head coach Dick Jauron said. Marcus Pollard caught four passes for 50 yards and a touchdown for Detroit (5-11), which lost six of its last seven games. Each defense settled down for the majority of the second quarter before the Steelers special teams made a big play. Chidi Iwuoma stripped the ball from Eddie Drummond on a punt return and Brett Keisel jumped on the fumble for Pittsburgh. A 17-yard screen pass to Parker moved the ball to the Detroit 12-yard line, and Pittsburgh later rode the Bus into the end zone from five-yards out to take a 21-14 advantage with 1:11 remaining in the half.

Pittsburgh had an opportunity to increase its lead after Troy Polamalu stripped Jones from behind, but Roethlisberger's pass for Randle El sailed high and was picked off by Bracy Walker. A heavy dose of speed capped by power triggered the Steelers scoring drive early in the third quarter. Parker sprinted five times for 33 yards, then after a 40-yard pass from Roethlisberger to Hines Ward, Bettis plowed to pay dirt from four yards out to make the score 28-14 with 11:00 left. Detroit, playing loose on offense with nothing on the line, drove right down the field to trim the deficit to seven points. Harrington converted three third downs and found Roy Williams on a fade route for a 15-yard touchdown. The Steelers used the ground game to again take a two-touchdown advantage. Five runs sprinkled around a 13-yard completion to Randle El and a 43-yard toss to Heath Miller moved the ball to the Lions seven-yard line. Roethlisberger then scrambled left and dove into the end zone for his third rushing TD of the season with 42 ticks left in the third quarter.

Bettis and Parker pounded out yardage in the fourth quarter and Detroit never seriously threatened to score. Randle El got the Terrible Towels waving early, as the wide receiver hauled in Nick Harris' 47-yard punt and sprinted down the right sideline 81 yards -- the longest Steelers return this season -- for a TD to make the score 7-0 just 1:17 into the contest. Detroit responded with an eight-play, 59-yard drive behind the arm of Harrington. The Oregon product threw an 18-yard dart to Scott Vines, completed a 3rd-and-19 pass to Pollard, then found the tight end again on a corner route for an 11-yard touchdown to tie the game with 9:43 left in the first stanza. Harrington continued his stellar play several minutes later, converting another 3rd-and-long with a 63-yard connection to Shawn Bryson. After a facemask penalty set Detroit up at the five-yard line, Harrington finished the scoring drive with a one-yard TD toss to Cory Schlesinger.

Colclough's ensuing 63-yard kickoff return put Pittsburgh in business. A pass interference penalty aided the march and Cowher rolled the dice on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line, as Bettis pounded into the end zone to tie the game at 14-14 with 21 seconds left in the period. "What Jerome gives you down in the red zone is how we are using him," Cowher said. "On a 4th-and-1 you have a guy like Jerome Bettis. It's an easy call to make really. Down around the goal line he has a great skill for that."

Game Notes

Pittsburgh made the playoffs for the 10th time in 14 years under Cowher...Ward became the second Steeler with 7,000 career receiving yards..Bettis has 91 career rushing touchdowns...The 21 points were the most Detroit scored on the road this season...Detroit converted 10-of-17 on third down...Pittsburgh compiled 202 return yards.

Final Score: Tampa Bay 27, New Orleans 13

Tampa, FL (MySportsbook.com) - Dewayne White stripped Saints quarterback Todd Bouman late in the game and rumbled 34 yards for the touchdown, leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the NFC South title with a 27-13 win over New Orleans. The Bucs (11-5), who ended the regular season with wins in four of their last five games, will host Washington next weekend at Raymond James Stadium in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Chris Simms threw for 143 yards and two touchdowns, while Joey Galloway was on the receiving end of both scores in the win. Rookie Cadillac Williams ran for 81 yards on 22 carries for third-seeded Tampa Bay. "I would just like to say it is a great feeling, a great accomplishment by our team. I am very proud of them," Bucs head coach Jon Gruden said. "A credit to the New Orleans Saints, they came in here under adverse circumstances, obviously, missing some key players and they competed greatly today. We hung in there and we earned our 11th victory. We look forward to continuing the season at home next week. I am really proud of our football team."

Bouman was 25-of-37 passing for 265 yards and a score with a pair of interceptions, as the Saints (3-13) lost their last five games of the season. It was a tumultuous 2005 campaign for the Saints, who were forced out of their confines in Louisiana due to the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. The Saints, who lost out on the first pick of the 2006 NFL Draft, then relocated to San Antonio, TX and played some games at LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. It was reported this week that the Saints will return to Louisiana following the 2005 season. According to the San Antonio Express-News, Saints long-time owner Tom Benson and NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue have reached an agreement to return the team to its state-owned training facility in Metairie, Louisiana. "Well, it's disappointing. I must say this is not a 3-13 football team," Saints head coach Jim Haslett said. "They have gone through a lot. I'm proud of what they have accomplished off the field and what they accomplished playing hard and doing everything right. I'm not happy with our record, but if you'd have seen the circumstances, the things that they went through, you'd be proud of this team."

Trailing 17-10 early in the fourth quarter, New Orleans trimmed the deficit to four points on John Carney's 24-yard field goal. The Saints almost changed the game minutes later when linebacker Ronald McKinnon picked off a tipped pass by Simms. However, the play was reviewed and overturned after replays showed the ball hitting the grass. Tampa Bay eventually settled for Matt Bryant's 26-yard field goal that pushed the lead to 20-13 with 7:16 to go. Bouman and the Saints gambled on fourth down with about 4 1/2 minutes left, but Bucs defensive end Simeon Rice recorded his second sack of the game and 14th of the season to give Tampa Bay possession near midfield. White later sealed the Tampa Bay win when he knocked the ball loose from Bouman and sprinted 34 yards to the end zone for a 27-13 advantage.

Will Allen picked off a Bouman pass on fourth down early in the first quarter and the turnover led to Galloway's seven-yard TD grab. The Bucs converted three third-down situations during the 15-play, 88-yard drive that lasted 8:00. "They were really nice plays by [Simms]," Galloway said of both TD catches on the day. "He put both balls on the money where only I could catch them. It?s a nice play call, and when he throws them like that we have no choice but to score." The Saints got on the scoreboard to make it 7-3 courtesy of Carney's 25-yard field goal at the 13:22 mark of the second quarter. Tampa Bay reserve running back Michael Pittman returned the ensuing kickoff 27 yards to the 30-yard line and sprinted 64 yards on the first play of the drive to the New Orleans one-yard line.

After a Mike Alstott one-yard TD run was waived off for an illegal formation penalty, Simms found Galloway again for a four-yard touchdown and a 14-3 advantage at 11:25 of the period. Bouman later tossed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Devery Henderson, pulling the Saints within 14-10. The score capped a nine-play march that covered 88 yards in 5:13. Bryant gave the Buccaneers a 17-10 halftime edge with a 46-yard field goal.

Game Notes

Rice has 119 career sacks...Simms improved to 5-1 versus the NFC South this season...Tampa Bay has won four of the last five meetings against the Saints...New Orleans ended with a 2-6 mark on the road this season...The Saints own a 17-11 mark in the all-time series...Galloway finished with 38 yards on four catches.

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