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Green Bay Packers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 11/04/01
Game Summary - Packers Win 21-20
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| WR antonio Freeman gets the Packers on the board with a 21-yard TD catch |
Whenever the Buccaneers and Packers square off the battles between Warren Sapp and Brett Favre take center stage on the media circuit. Today, however, it was a diminutive, 5-foot-8 kick returner who stole the show. Allen Rossum's 55-yard punt return for a touchdown with three minutes left propelled Green Bay to a 21-20 win over Tampa Bay.
"Everyone dreams of scoring the game winning touchdowns, but I just wanted to give Brett another chance," Rossum said. "It kind of happened that those guys did another tremendous job of keeping those guys out of my face."
Tampa Bay (4-3) still has not won in Wisconsin since 1989 and will not visit Lambeau Field in the regular season again until 2005 because of realignment. The teams split the season series with each winning at home.
The Buccaneers converted all three Packer turnovers into points en route to a 17-7 third-quarter lead. Donnie abraham and Jamie Duncan both intercepted Favre and Warren Sapp recovered an Ahman Green fumble.
Green brought the Packers (5-2) back into the game with a 63-yard touchdown scamper 10 minutes into the third quarter. He finished the day with a career-high 169 yards on 24 carries and added six catches for 49 yards.
"It was a basic downhill play for us - one of our bread-and-butter plays," Green said of his touchdown run. "It was a play with what I call 'perfect blocking' happening, all I had to do was to out-run the safeties to the end zone."
The teams then again traded drives until Martin Gramatica put through a 49-yard field goal to increase the Tampa Bay lead to 20-14. Gramatica also hit a 33-yard attempt in the second quarter. Green Bay's Ryan Longwell missed wide left on his only attempt of the afternoon, a 41-yarder as time expired in the first half.
After the Rossum return the Packers' defense held tough against a last-gasp effort from Tampa. Vonnie Holliday recovered what appeared to be a fumble when quarterback Brad Johnson lost the football trying to spike it with less than 10 seconds on the clock, but the play was ruled dead because of an inadvertent whistle. The secondary batted down the last ditch Hail Mary attempt as time expired.
"I felt like we played when it counted and we stepped up and made some big plays," Holliday said. "We knew it was going to be a tough game. Tampa came here today and they took advantage of their opportunities when we gave it to them, but defensively we came out and at critical times in the game we shut them down and stopped them and got the ball back for our offense."
The defense recorded seven sacks on Johnson and held the Buccaneers to just 194 yards total offense. Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila became the first player to tally a double-digit sack total for the season since Reggie White had 16 in 1998. Gbaja-Biamila now has 10 sacks after bringing down Johnson on the third play of the game.
"It feels good," Gbaja-Biamila said. "as long as it helps the team and things like that. I just thank the good Lord for putting me around these people. I'm only as good as the people around me and that's why I'm able to do those things."
After forcing the Buccaneers three-and-out on the opening drive, the Packers compiled a seven-play, 57-yard drive culminating in a 21-yard touchdown catch by Antonio Freeman. at the end of the first quarter Green Bay had outgained Tampa Bay 120 to 7 in total yards. The Bucs had minus-1 yard rushing in the first quarter.
Freeman finished with four receptions for 65 yards to lead Green Bay. Wideouts Charles Lee and Donald Driver added two catches apiece while tight ends David Martin and Bubba Franks both hauled in one reception.
Favre completed 16 of 27 attempts for 180 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Meanwhile, Johnson fared about the same going 18-of-30 for 177 yards and two touchdowns. He hit tight end David Moore for a score in the second quarter and connected with running back Mike alstott for a 19-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
"I tell Brett just about every week that he's not the only guy on scholarship on this team and that he doesn't have to do it all by himself and such was the case today," GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman said. "He made some tremendous throws today. When you're the quarterback, a lot of the criticism comes to you, sometimes rightly so, sometimes wrongly, and when we throw interceptions you've got to look at the tape and see if guys were doing the right things at the right time."
Offensive lineman Mike Wahle got a game ball for what turned out to be a touchdown saving tackle early in the game. abraham intercepted a Favre pass at the Tampa Bay 16-yard line and seemed poised to return it for a touchdown just like teammate Shelton Quarles did in the Week four game at Tampa, but Whale ran him down and clotheslined him hard. The Bucs eventually settled for a field goal.
Both teams were without wide receivers, Jacquez Green (groin) for the Bucs and Bill Schroeder (ankle) for the Packers. Green Bay also lost left tackle Chad Clifton to a sprained left ankle in the first quarter. abraham bruised his back in the fourth quarter and didn't return.
Packers-Bucs archived complete game broadcast
(Real audio)
Post-Game / Locker Room audio Clips
GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman (Realaudio)
Special Teams Coach Frank Novak (Realaudio)
S LeRoy Butler (Realaudio)
DT Santana Dotson (Realaudio)
QB Brett Favre (Realaudio)
WR antonio Freeman (Realaudio)
DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (Realaudio)
RB ahman Green (Realaudio)
DE Vonnie Holliday (Realaudio)
K Ryan Longwell (Realaudio)
KR allen Rossum (Realaudio)
S Darren Sharper (Realaudio)
DE John Thierry (Realaudio)
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
GBP: A. Freeman 23 yard pass from B.Favre (R. Longwell kick)
2nd Quarter
TB: M.Gramatica 33 yard Field Goal
TB: D.Moore 11 yard pass from B.Johnson (M. Gramatica kick)
3rd Quarter
TB: M. alstott 19 yard pass from B.Johnson (M.Gramatica kick)
GBP: A.Green 63 yard run (R. Longwell kick)
4th Quarter
TB: M. Gramatica 49 yard Field Goal
GBP: A.Rossum 55 yard punt return (R. Longwell kick)
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