Cardiac Bucs Shock Vikes with 17 point Comeback

As they walked off the field, they looked shellshocked. Humiliated by the Minnesota Vikings, the Bucs trailed 17-0 in a game that really should have been much worse.

After getting outplayed both offensively and defensively in the first half, the light suddenly came on for the Bucs as Tampa Bay scored 24 second half points and LeGarrent Blount's 4 yard touchdown in with 0:31 left in the game gave the Bucs a shocking 24-20 victory.

As the Vikings covered both Arrelious Benn and Mike Williams, other receivers stood up to make some huge second half catches. Preston Parker hauled in 6 passes for 98 yds while Dez Briscoe and Kellen Winslow each contributed key first down catches.

After a sluggish first half, LeGarrette Blount got going, blasting loose for a 27 yard third quarter rushing score to pull Tampa Bay within 10.

After a trade of field goals, Josh Freeman hit Arrelious Benn for a 25 yard touchdown to pull the Bucs within three with 6:45 left in the game.

After a terrible decision by Vikings returner Lorenzon Booker gave Minnesota terrible field position, the Bucs maligned defense battled back and got the ball back for the offense.

Freeman, who mastered his 8th fourth quarter comeback methodically moved the Bucs down the field. On 3rd and 4 on the Minnesota 10, Freeman hit Preston Parker at the 4 yard line to set up Blount's game winning score.

The unbelievable comeback masked another terrible start for Tampa Bay as the Bucs were outgained nearly 4-to-1 ratio. The Bucs defense again couldn't get off the field while the offense couldn't sustain drives (sound famliar).

We don't know what Head Coach Raheem Morris said at half-time, but it must of been a doozy of a speech as Tampa Bay came out fired up, inspired and took it to the Vikings.

We'll have more coverage on this game later.

NFL Week 2 Preview: Buccaneers Vs. Vikings

After their disappointing showing against the Detroit Lions in Week 1, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have some serious work today against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are not considered a necessarily strong team, but they are good enough that they could easily give the Buccaneers problems. A loss to them would mean right off the bat, the Buccaneers have very long odds at reaching the postseason.

For our full game preview and analysis, see Purple Pain: Bucs Need To Rebound Against Vikings and Bucs Face Challenge In Adrian Peterson. Here’s a brief snippet from one:

Here’s some food for thought heading into week 2 of the NFL season: Since 1990, only 13% of NFL teams that started out 0-2 have made the playoffs. That’s tall odds for a young team like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that already has the deck stacked against them in the highly-competitive NFC South. Although there is no such thing as a September must-win-game, this Sundays showdown of 0-1 teams in Minnesota could go a long way to determining the direction of a still-young season.

The Buccaneers, looking to rebound from a stunning defeat in their yard at the hands of a resurgent Detroit Lions team, will travel to Mall of America Field and take on the Minnesota Vikings in a matchup of two clubs searching for an identity in their 2011 campaigns. The Vikings suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the San Diego Chargers in week one and will be looking for redemption in their home opener.

Matchup: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Minnesota Vikings
Game Time:1:00 PM
Coverage: FOX (local)
Staff Prediction: Tampa Bay 20, Minnesota 17

For a game recap and analysis, follow along with SB Nation Tampa Bay on Twitter.

Buccaneers Vs. Vikings: NFL Week 2 Friday Injury Report

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel north Minneapolis this weekend to take on a Vikings team that like Tampa Bay is looking for its first win of the season. Both teams lost in Week 1 -- Tampa Bay to Detroit, Minnesota to San Diego -- and should be at their best this Sunday as they try to avoid an 0-2 start.

For the Buccaneers, the injury situation isn't too dire. CB Myron Lewis is out with an ankle injury, and WR Sammie Stroughter will not suit up due to a foot injury. DT Brian Price is dealing with a gruesome hamstring injury as well, a potentially troublesome injury as the Buccaneers try to slow down Adrian Peterson. Other than that though, Raheem Morris' squad should be at close to full strength

Let's take a look at the complete injury and practice report for the Buccaneers this week, and then the same for the host Minnesota Vikings.

For all things Buccaneers, make Bucs Nation part of your regular reading

Ummm, Ouch: Brian Price's Hamstring Is Scary

Purple Pain: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Look to Right the Ship In Rough Minnesota Viking Waters

SB Nation Tampa Bay Previews the NFL Week 2 matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Minnesota Vikings.

NFL Live Game Chat - Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings

SBNation Tampa Bay's JC De La Torre will host a live game chat during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings football game.

Buccaneer Injury Report: Brian Price Is Okay

If you were watching the Bucs-Lions game this past Sunday, you probably saw Buccaneer defensive tackle Brian Price go down with what looked like a nasty injury. It appeared to be a hamstring injury, and Price was in considerable pain.

As it turns out, the Bucs are saying that Price’s injury was the result of cramping on a hot day. He had surgery done in his pelvic area last year, so discomfort and pain in that area is apparently expected, but the hot weather and fatigue further exasperated the issue.

Raheem Morris has said that Price is “day-to-day”, and that he’s expected to work out with the team this week and start against the Vikings this weekend. He could theoretically be back in practice as early as Wednesday, but we’ll have to see.

Price certainly made his presence felt during last week’s game, so here’s hoping he’s back up to full strength as quickly as possible. The Bucs’ defense needs all the help they can get.

The Reasoning Behind the Bucs' No-Huddle Use

In the aftermath of last week’s game against the Detroit Lions, many fans (and analysts!) have been questioning coach Raheem Morris’s decision to only go to a no-huddle offense late in the fourth quarter. The Bucs had two successful drives with the no-huddle late in the game — not to mention one before the end of the first half — but they didn’t have quite enough time to score as many points as needed. So if the no-huddle worked, why didn’t they go to it earlier in the game?

Thanks to Stephen Holder from the St. Pete Times, we have an answer. If you were paying close attention, the Buccaneers actually started the second half using the no-huddle offense — hey, it worked at the end of the first half, so why not? — but they were stopped on downs on two consecutive drives. And when you get stopped quickly using the no-huddle, all of a sudden you’re putting a huge tax on your defense.

Or as center Jeff Faine explains it:

We started the second half and (had) two 3-and-outs. That’s putting our defense on the field for an extended amount of time. Not necessarily clock time, but real time. Then (the offense) is going out there for 30 seconds and (the defense) is out there for another five minutes, six minutes. If you don’t convert, it’s quick.

Then those guys are right back on the field during a hot game. That starts to mount. When it’s working, of course (you say) let’s start the game off like that and play 2-minute all the time. But when it’s not working, a lot of things can go bad, and it’s not just the offense. It affects a lot of people.

Also, Raheem Morris is hesitant to use running back LeGarrette Blount during the no-huddle offense, as they feel he’s not a good enough blocker. Also, when you’re trying to prevent the clock from running out, you don’t exactly what to be running the ball right down the middle of the field terribly often. Blount only had five carries in Sunday’s loss, and the Buccaneers simply can’t win if they give him so few handles:

“That’s not how we want to win games,” Morris said. “We want to win games with (LeGarrette) Blount bludgeoning you for 130 yards and having a couple of play-action bombs and being efficient with (Josh Freeman). When we go to that 2-minute offense like that, we kind of take Blount out of the game. That’s something we don’t want to do.”

So Bucs fans, there was a reasoning behind the madness. I still think the Bucs should have been better with clock management at the end of the game, but it’s at least a logical, justifiable explanation. Here’s hoping the Bucs are able to plan a bit better in this upcoming week’s game against the Vikings.

For more analysis on the Buccaneers, check out Bucs Nation.

Buccaneers Face Tough Challenge In Stopping Vikings' Adrian Peterson

The Buccaneers hope to rebound after a tough loss to Detroit, as they head north to battle Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings.