| NFL Playoffs - NFC Conference Championship Game | |
Tampa Bay 27, Philadelphia 10
Sunday, Jan. 19, 3:00 PM ET
At: Veterans Stadium
Bucs Earn First Super Bowl Appearance
Traveling to Veterans Stadium was never a popular road trip for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers players, especially in January. The Bucs cold weather deficiencies have been well documented, and their last two postseason trips to Philadelphia ended with playoff losses in which their offense seemed to be missing in action. But this time it was the Philadelphia offense that disappeared as the Buccaneers advanced to their first-ever Super Bowl appearance with a 27-10 victory.
Sunday's NFC Championship game, the last NFL game played at Veterans Stadium, appeared as though it would be more of the same for a franchise that had never suited up for the NFL's biggest game. Philadelphia's Brian Mitchell fielded the opening kick and scampered 70 yards before being brought down from behind at Tampa Bays' 26-yard line.
Donovan McNabb opened the Eagles' possession with a pass across the middle to Duce Staley for 6 yards. On the next play, Staley broke through the middle of the defensive line and danced his way to a 20-yard touchdown run before a frenzied home crowd.
Tampa Bay answered back with a nine play drive that resulted in a 48-yard Martin Gramatica field goal, making the score 7-3 Philadelphia. On the ensuing kickoff, Mitchell gave the Eagles excellent field position again, bringing the kick back out to his own 43-yard line. But this time they couldn't capitalize and were forced to punt after three plays.
Philadelphia squandered another prime scoring opportunity when they failed to put any points on the board after cornerback Bobby Taylor intercepted a Brad Johnson pass at the Tampa Bay 46-yard line. After picking up one first down, McNabb threw an incomplete pass across the middle on a third-and-eight at the 32. Instead of going for the long field goal attempt, head coach Andy Reid elected to punt the ball, pinning the Bucs back at their own 4-yard line.
A couple Mike Alstott runs and a completion to the left side to Keenan McCardell moved the Buccaneers out to the 24-yard line where Johnson hooked up with Joe Jurevicius on a play that seemed to swing the momentum in favor of Tampa Bay. Johnson hit Jurevicius as he cut across the middle of the field and raced down the left sideline for 71-yards, setting up a 1-yard Alstott touchdown plunge two plays later that gave the Bucs a 17-10 halftime lead.
Both defenses locked down on the opponent's offense in the second half, and a Gramatica field goal represented the only second-half points that were scored until late in the fourth quarter. Trailing 20-10, the Eagles marched down to the Buccaneers 10-yard line, hoping to cut the lead to just one score. But on a first down play, Ronde Barber stepped in front of a McNabb pass in the left flat and returned it 92 yards for a touchdown, clinching Tampa Bay's first NFC Championship.
The Buccaneers' win means the Raiders, who knocked off the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship game, will face their former head coach in Super Bowl XXXVII. One year ago, Jon Gruden left his head coaching post in Oakland for the same position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. One season and a multitude of draft picks later, the Raiders and Gruden will face off as foes in the NFL's biggest game... more
