Bucs Win Big In Cincinnati

Tampa Bay got its biggest road win ever - in the cold, no less -- but couldn't get into the playoffs.

The Buccaneers kept extended their playoff hopes Sunday with their first road shutout, a 35-0 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals set up by Mike Alstott's career-high three touchdown runs.

The Buccaneers (8-8) were eliminated about four hours later, while they were on a flight back to Florida. They needed two things to happen, and got only one.

The New York Giants beat Philadelphia 20-10 to sustain the Buccaneers' hopes. Those ended when Arizona beat San Diego 16-13 on Chris Jacke's last-second field goal to clinch the final NFC wild-card berth.

Instead of building upon their 10-victory season of 1997, the Buccaneers started off 4-7 and wound up needing a lot of help down the stretch.

"We created that situation," coach Tony Dungy said, before the team headed home. "If we don't (make the playoffs), I don't think we have anybody to blame but ourselves. There were some sub-.500 teams that we didn't beat and that makes it tough on you."

"It's frustrating because we shouldn't be like that," said Alstott, who rushed for 69 yards on 20 carries. "We should have been playing for home-field advantage or keeping our fundamentals ready for next week. Now we've got to take what's handed to us."

The Buccaneers got everything handed to them by Cincinnati (3-13). The Bengals fumbled a punt, had another blocked, missed a field goal, fumbled a kickoff and lost another quarterback to a hand injury as Tampa Bay rolled to a 28-0 halftime lead.

It wound up as the most lopsided shutout in Bengals history and the first shutout at home since a 34-0 loss to Cleveland in a strike replacement game. The last home shutout before that was 14-0 against Buffalo in 1980.

"Maybe we had some guys already on the highway, already on the plane flying home," said Bengals safety Sam Shade, whalso questioned his teammates' effort during the season. "I don't know."

"Tampa Bay definitely was more ready than we were, but we're professionals and have to do better than what we showed," defensive lineman John Copeland said.

Mike Alstott scores the first of his three touchdowns against Cincinnati. (AP)

The 28-point half was Tampa Bay's biggest since 1989 and tied for the second-best in franchise history. The 28-point halftime lead was Tampa Bay's biggest ever.

Things broke the Buccaneers' way from the start. They were 0-16 when the game-time temperature was 39 degrees or below; it had warmed to 40 degrees (with a wind chill of 29 degrees) at the coin flip on Sunday.

Trent Dilfer then set the tone by throwing a 50-yard touchdown pass to Robb Thomas - who had only one reception all season -- on the fifth play of the game.

The Bengals crumbled after Doug Pelfrey was wide right on a 40-yard field goal attempt on their first possession. Alstott's 1-yard touchdown dive made it 14-0, and Eric Bieniemy fumbled the kickoff to set up Alstott's 1-yard push only 2:49 later.

After Don Davis blocked Brad Costello's punt, Dilfer's 4-yard touchdown pass to Reidel Anthony made it 28-0 with 8:07 left in the second quarter. At that point the only question was whether Cincinnati would score or not.

The Bengals lost a quarterback to a hand injury for the third time in four games when Paul Justin hurt his right hand late in the second quarter. Eric Kresser, playing in only his second NFL game, went 7-for-17 for 102 yards with a pair of interceptions.

Ronde Barber's interception at the Buccaneers' 1-yard line ended Cincinnati's final scoring threat early in the fourth quarter, preserving the third shutout in Tampa Bay history.

"That was our first road shutout ever. It's a big deal for us," Barber said. "Our defense has played well all year. This kind of puts an exclamation point on it."

The Buccaneers won four of their last five games and had a sense they could do some impressive things in the playoffs -- if the Giants and Cardinals got them there.

"If you get a little hot late in the year, you can do some damage," said Dilfer, who completed 10 of 16 for 111 yards in a ball-control offense. "I think we have the philosophy that can win in the playoffs."

The smallest home crowd of the season watched Cincinnati finish 3-13 for the fourth time in the 1990s. The 40,000 or so fans booed each Bengal mishap and unfurled banners calling for Mike Brown to step down as general manager.

One banner summed up the season: Every Snap Prolongs Nausea.

Notes