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The Buccaneers had their chances against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day but couldn’t come up with the big play during critical moments. Here are five such instances
RB Michael Pittman gave the Bucs good field position on a kickoff return with the game tied 7-7, but a turnover killed the Bucs' momentum
Nov 24, 2006 -
By now every Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan is well aware of the buzz saw their team ran into on Thanksgiving Day. Facing a hot Dallas Cowboys squad still high off its win against Indianapolis just four days earlier, the Tampa Bay suffered one of its most lopsided defeats in years.
But as discouraging as the game’s 38-10 outcome was, the Buccaneers had several early chances to shape the game in their favor. If you’ve chosen to block the game’s details from your mind, we’ll do the recap. Here are five critical moments in Thursday’s contest that contributed to the game getting away from the Buccaneers, when it easily could have gone in the other direction.
5. Bucs’ offense unable to take advantage of early defensive stand.
After going up 7-0 on a 10-play, 80-yard opening drive that ended in a Mike Alstott touchdown, the Buccaneers’ defense made an impressive stand against the potent Dallas offense on its first possession of the game. On third-and-five, defensive tackle Chris Hovan collapsed the pocket and sacked quarterback Tony Romo, forcing a Dallas punt.
Regaining possession, the Buccaneers had a chance to go up by double digits and force Romo and the Cowboys offense to dig themselves out of a hole. However, they couldn’t convert a third-and-three when quarterback Bruce Gradkowski was pressured and forced to throw early. The result was an incompletion and, more importantly, a relinquishing of the ball to Dallas. The Cowboys would score on their next drive, tying the game 7-7 and maintaining the use of their full offensive arsenal.
" I just kind of threw it off balance, didn’t give him enough. Poor play on my part. I’ve got to throw it out there."
“We had some opportunities to make some plays today,” Head Coach Jon Gruden said. “I’m not talking about glamorous plays. I’m talking about National Football League routine plays. You’ve got to make them.”
4. Allen slip on defense leads to Terry Glenn touchdown
It may not have been his fault, but when safety Will Allen stumbled while covering WR Terry Glenn, it proved costly. Having already stopped the Cowboys offense on an earlier drive, the Buccaneers defense had Dallas down by seven and facing a second-and-13. That’s when Romo dropped back and found Glenn wide open at the goal line for a 30-yard touchdown reception. Glenn’s score wasn’t the result of a breakdown in coverage. It was the product of a misstep by Allen that left him unable to recover in time. Also, Allen appeared to tweak his ankle on the previous play, which may have contributed to his slip. Dallas would never trail again.
3. Early interception leads to potential 14-point swing.
With 1:09 remaining in a hard-fought first-quarter and after receiving a big kick return from Michael Pittman, the Buccaneers took over at their 41-yard line with the score tied 7-7. On the first play of the drive, the Bucs went for the jugular, sending Galloway down the middle and then on a post to the right. A deeper throw might have been a touchdown, but Gradkowski’s pass never made it to Galloway, as safety Roy Williams was able to cut in front of the receiver. His interception and 27-yard return took the ball to midfield. Fueled by the turnover, the Cowboys offense would score 10 plays later, taking its first lead of the game, 14-7.
“On that play, I came out of the fake, and I saw Joey [Galloway] take it,” Gradkowski said. “So I was getting ready to throw it. I just kind of threw it off balance, didn’t give him enough. Poor play on my part. I’ve got to throw it out there. I just kind of threw it off balance, and [Roy Williams] made a good play.”
2. Galloway touchdown denied at last second.
Coming out of a timeout and down by seven points, the Buccaneers faced a third-and-eight from the Dallas 28-yard line. A decision to go deep looked to pay off when Galloway ran by cornerback Anthony Henry for what appeared to be a certain touchdown. Gradkowski delivered the ball to Galloway in stride, but Henry dove in desperation and at the last fraction of a second managed to swat the ball away from Galloway in the end zone. It’s possible that Gradkowski had room to lead Galloway a bit more and keep the ball out of Henry’s reach. Instead of tying the game, the Buccaneers were forced to settle for a Matt Bryant field goal, making the score 14-10.
1. Dallas scores at end of first half
Despite the missed opportunities listed above, the Buccaneers were very much alive near the end of the first half, only trailing by four points. But with 2:10 remaining, Tampa Bay was forced to punt when the team couldn’t overcome a third-and-fifteen that was partially the result of a holding call earlier in the series. In the next 1:30, Dallas drove down the field thanks to a 15-yard catch by Terrell Owens and a roughing-the-passer penalty on the Buccaneers. Another big catch, this time by receiver Patrick Crayton for 33 yards moved the ball to the one-yard line. And on the next play, Romo threw his third touchdown of the day, making the score 21-10 at the half. It was a potentially back-breaking score, considering Dallas started the second half with the ball and drove for a fourth touchdown, going up by 18 before the Bucs offense ever had a chance to answer.
“After it was 14-10, they went down and scored,” Gradkowski said. “And that kind of was tough on us. We didn’t get the ball back until it was 28 [to 10]. That’s just tough on an offense. We kind of changed our game plan a little bit.”
In the second half, of course, it was all Dallas, and the final score reflected the eventual domination the Cowboys settled into. However, had the Bucs capitalized on a handful of opportunities in the first half, the entire course of the game might have changed. That’s the nature of football in the NFL.
The Buccaneers had their chances against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day but couldn’t come up with the big play during critical moments. Here are five such instances
RB Michael Pittman gave the Bucs good field position on a kickoff return with the game tied 7-7, but a turnover killed the Bucs' momentum
Nov 24, 2006 -
By now every Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan is well aware of the buzz saw their team ran into on Thanksgiving Day. Facing a hot Dallas Cowboys squad still high off its win against Indianapolis just four days earlier, the Tampa Bay suffered one of its most lopsided defeats in years.
But as discouraging as the game’s 38-10 outcome was, the Buccaneers had several early chances to shape the game in their favor. If you’ve chosen to block the game’s details from your mind, we’ll do the recap. Here are five critical moments in Thursday’s contest that contributed to the game getting away from the Buccaneers, when it easily could have gone in the other direction.
5. Bucs’ offense unable to take advantage of early defensive stand.
After going up 7-0 on a 10-play, 80-yard opening drive that ended in a Mike Alstott touchdown, the Buccaneers’ defense made an impressive stand against the potent Dallas offense on its first possession of the game. On third-and-five, defensive tackle Chris Hovan collapsed the pocket and sacked quarterback Tony Romo, forcing a Dallas punt.
Regaining possession, the Buccaneers had a chance to go up by double digits and force Romo and the Cowboys offense to dig themselves out of a hole. However, they couldn’t convert a third-and-three when quarterback Bruce Gradkowski was pressured and forced to throw early. The result was an incompletion and, more importantly, a relinquishing of the ball to Dallas. The Cowboys would score on their next drive, tying the game 7-7 and maintaining the use of their full offensive arsenal.
" I just kind of threw it off balance, didn’t give him enough. Poor play on my part. I’ve got to throw it out there."
“We had some opportunities to make some plays today,” Head Coach Jon Gruden said. “I’m not talking about glamorous plays. I’m talking about National Football League routine plays. You’ve got to make them.”
4. Allen slip on defense leads to Terry Glenn touchdown
It may not have been his fault, but when safety Will Allen stumbled while covering WR Terry Glenn, it proved costly. Having already stopped the Cowboys offense on an earlier drive, the Buccaneers defense had Dallas down by seven and facing a second-and-13. That’s when Romo dropped back and found Glenn wide open at the goal line for a 30-yard touchdown reception. Glenn’s score wasn’t the result of a breakdown in coverage. It was the product of a misstep by Allen that left him unable to recover in time. Also, Allen appeared to tweak his ankle on the previous play, which may have contributed to his slip. Dallas would never trail again.
3. Early interception leads to potential 14-point swing.
With 1:09 remaining in a hard-fought first-quarter and after receiving a big kick return from Michael Pittman, the Buccaneers took over at their 41-yard line with the score tied 7-7. On the first play of the drive, the Bucs went for the jugular, sending Galloway down the middle and then on a post to the right. A deeper throw might have been a touchdown, but Gradkowski’s pass never made it to Galloway, as safety Roy Williams was able to cut in front of the receiver. His interception and 27-yard return took the ball to midfield. Fueled by the turnover, the Cowboys offense would score 10 plays later, taking its first lead of the game, 14-7.
“On that play, I came out of the fake, and I saw Joey [Galloway] take it,” Gradkowski said. “So I was getting ready to throw it. I just kind of threw it off balance, didn’t give him enough. Poor play on my part. I’ve got to throw it out there. I just kind of threw it off balance, and [Roy Williams] made a good play.”
2. Galloway touchdown denied at last second.
Coming out of a timeout and down by seven points, the Buccaneers faced a third-and-eight from the Dallas 28-yard line. A decision to go deep looked to pay off when Galloway ran by cornerback Anthony Henry for what appeared to be a certain touchdown. Gradkowski delivered the ball to Galloway in stride, but Henry dove in desperation and at the last fraction of a second managed to swat the ball away from Galloway in the end zone. It’s possible that Gradkowski had room to lead Galloway a bit more and keep the ball out of Henry’s reach. Instead of tying the game, the Buccaneers were forced to settle for a Matt Bryant field goal, making the score 14-10.
1. Dallas scores at end of first half
Despite the missed opportunities listed above, the Buccaneers were very much alive near the end of the first half, only trailing by four points. But with 2:10 remaining, Tampa Bay was forced to punt when the team couldn’t overcome a third-and-fifteen that was partially the result of a holding call earlier in the series. In the next 1:30, Dallas drove down the field thanks to a 15-yard catch by Terrell Owens and a roughing-the-passer penalty on the Buccaneers. Another big catch, this time by receiver Patrick Crayton for 33 yards moved the ball to the one-yard line. And on the next play, Romo threw his third touchdown of the day, making the score 21-10 at the half. It was a potentially back-breaking score, considering Dallas started the second half with the ball and drove for a fourth touchdown, going up by 18 before the Bucs offense ever had a chance to answer.
“After it was 14-10, they went down and scored,” Gradkowski said. “And that kind of was tough on us. We didn’t get the ball back until it was 28 [to 10]. That’s just tough on an offense. We kind of changed our game plan a little bit.”
In the second half, of course, it was all Dallas, and the final score reflected the eventual domination the Cowboys settled into. However, had the Bucs capitalized on a handful of opportunities in the first half, the entire course of the game might have changed. That’s the nature of football in the NFL.
