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Buccaneers Can't Hold On, Fall To Giants

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked like they were going to move to 2-0 on the season, but couldn't hold on as the New York Giants rallied back to win.

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32 Total Updates since September 12, 2012
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Buccaneers Pass Defense A Work In Progress

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were competitive against the New York Giants on Sunday, but their defense ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. Eli Manning threw for more than 500 yards in leading the Giants' comeback win, and as Bucs Nation noted, Tampa Bay's pass defense left a lot to be desired:

The pass defense...um...its...a work progress? No, its a problem. Fans who expected coach Greg Schiano and Defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan to fix the Bucs defensive woes in one off-season were probably kidding themselves. But no one truly expected to see the team surrender 501 yds passing through the air.

Related: GIF: Greg Schiano and Tom Coughlin fight over kneeldown

The Giants got touchdowns on a pair of big pass plays in the fourth quarter and scored a total of 25 points over the final 15 minutes. Receivers Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz proved too much for the Bucs' secondary to handle.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Tampa Bay. For more in-depth coverage, visit Buccaneers blog Bucs Nation. And for more news, notes and analysis from around the league, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub.

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Buccaneers Vs. Giants Final Score: Eli Manning Rebounds From Early Interceptions To Lead Charge In 41-34 Comeback

After a first half in which the Buccaneers scored 21 points off of turnovers, the Tampa Bay defense face planted, allowing Eli Manning to throw for a team-record 510 yards in the Giants' 41-34 comeback victory.

An Eric Wright 60-yard pick-six on Manning's third interception of the half gave the Bucs a 24-13 advantage heading into the locker room, but following that, the wheels came off. Connor Barth sank a 52-yard field goal on Tampa's opening drive of the second half, but from there, it was the Manning Show.

An 80-yard strike to WR Victor Cruz tied the game at 27 before TE Martellus Bennett allowed the Giants to take the lead with a 33-yard TD grab of his own.

But Josh Freeman (15-of-28, 243 yards, two TD, two INT) still refused to admit defeat, hooking up with Mike Williams on a 41-yard touchdown toss in the corner of the endzone to even things up with two minutes left.

Ultimately though, Manning's famous fourth-quarter heroics were too much to handle. Manning found Hakeem Nicks for a 50-yard reception to set up a game-winning two-yard touchdown run from Andre Brown. Freeman tried to lead his team back once more but the game was iced when one of his passes landed in the hands of Giants LB Michael Boley.

Fantasy studs/duds: Wide receivers were the story for both teams with Vincent Jackson(128 yards, one TD), Hakeem Nicks (199 yards, one TD) and Victor Cruz (179 yards, one TD) all putting up eye-popping numbers. Manning obviously had a huge game with 510 yards and three touchdowns, but it could have been his best performance ever if it wasn't for the negative points off the picks.

But Did They Cover?: The Giants comeback covered their 2.5-point favorite spread.

Injury Info: RB Ahmad Bradshaw (neck), WR Domenik Hixon (concussion) and RT David Diehl (knee) were all forced from the game and did not return for the Giants. CB Eric Wright did not return on for the Buccaneers after aggravating a lower back injury that bothered him all preseason.

Next Week's Schedule: The Giants only have four days to recover before heading to Carolina to face the Panthers on Thursday Night Football. The Buccaneers will continue on their NFC East tour next Sunday, taking on the Cowboys in Dallas.

For More On This Game: For more Buccaneers coverage, head on over to Bucs Nation. To join the Giants talk, pay a visit to Big Blue View.

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Buccaneers Vs. Giants Score: Tampa Bay Takes Advantage Of Eli Manning Interceptions, Leads 24-13 At Halftime

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have intercepted Eli Manning three times in the first thirty minutes of play, building a 24-13 lead over the New York Giants. Josh Freeman has been aggressive, finding Vincent Jackson (three receptions, 87 yards, one touchdown) early and often for 104 yards on 7-of-12 passing.

With both teams exchanging field goals as drives stalled in the first quarter, it seemed the Buccaneers were going to need a big break to make some serious noise. And Manning answered by throwing an interception to Mason Foster on the first play of the second quarter.

Freeman wouldn't waste the opportunity either, tossing up a beautiful fade route to Jackson for a 29-yard touchdown.

Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw would suffer a neck injury on New York's following drive, forcing to Manning to air it out even more. Manning didn't respond well, overthrowing Victor Cruz and instead hitting Buccaneers defensive back Brandon McDonald. McDonald returned the ball 40 yards before a horse collar extended the play even further to set up a Doug Martin eight-yard touchdown scamper.

Manning got some help from reserve running back Andre Brown on the next drive and was finally able to get something going. The Giants would cap off an 80-yard drive with a 23-yard Manning to Nicks touchdown connection.

The Buccaneers didn't do a good job of running out the clock on their final drive, but perhaps it's because they realized what would happen next. After the Giants moved the ball well following the punt, Manning tossed his third interception of the day to Eric Wright. Wright proceeded to return that pick 60 yards to extend the lead to 24-13 with only a few seconds remaining in the half.

The Bucs will get a chance to build on that lead when they receive the ball coming out of the locker room. They might be better suited taking their chances on defense, though, as 21 of their 24 points have been set up by Manning interceptions.

For more Buccaneers coverage, head on over to Bucs Nation. To join the Giants talk, pay a visit to Big Blue View.

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Ahmad Bradshaw Injury: Giants Running Back Heads To Locker Room With Neck Injury

New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw left Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to get x-rays after sustaining a neck injury

Bradshaw was examined by the trainers after his head jerked awkwardly when attempting to make a block. He took a series off but was then taken to the lock room for x-rays. He's being called questionable to return.

Bradshaw has come back to the sidelines since then but he does not have his helmet with him. The Giants will now go with Andre Brown and rookie David Wilson at running back.

The injuries have come in bunches today for the Giants, with right tackle David Diehl being knocked out for the remained of the contest with a knee injury. Wide receiver Domenik Hixon is also questionable to return after sustaining a head injury from a Mason Foster blow.

For more Buccaneers coverage, head on over to Bucs Nation. To join the Giants talk, pay a visit to Big Blue View.

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Buccaneers Vs. Giants Score: Tampa Bay Down 6-3 Early Despite Improved Passing Offense

Despite a 6-3 deficit, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have shown an improved vertical attack in the first quarter against New York Giants with Vincent Jackson catching two balls for 58 yards.

The Giants opened their first drive with Eli Manning hooking up Hakeem Nicks on two receptions including a 40-yard grab down the right sideline. Lawrence Tynes would then cap it off with a 37-yard field goal.

The Buccaneers responded with Josh Freeman finding Vincent Jackson for a 41-yard strike down the same sideline. Unfortunately, that drive would stall as well but not before Connor Barth drained a 45-yard field goal of his own.

On New York's second drive, Manning continued with the intermediate passing attack, incorporating Victor Cruz this time. Cruz would wrangle in two receptions including a nice 20-yard catch-and-run in which he broke a handful of tackles. Yet once again, that drive would not reach pay dirt, with a misread and a drop in the red zone to setup Tynes second field goal (24 yards).

The Bucs had something going on their final drive of the quarter but they were forced following a seven-yard sack from Chase Blackburn. The Giants now have the ball on their own eleven to open the second.

For more Buccaneers coverage, head on over to Bucs Nation. To join the Giants talk, pay a visit to Big Blue View.

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Doug Martin Workload Should Increase For Bucs

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin touched the ball 28 times in the team's 16-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. Although he is just a rookie, Martin is expected to continue to be a major part of Tampa Bay's offense. Bucs head coach Greg Schiano told the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud that the team plans to carefully monitor how Martin's health is affected by the high workload.

"I do think it's a feel thing game to game," Schiano said. "But 28 touches ... that's a lot of touches. Now, has it been done? Sure. Has it been done by rookies? So it's not unheard of. But we'll go one game at a time, and then you've just got to keep an eye on him as the season rolls on.

Related: Daily Bucs Links 9/13/12 - Blount had a stinger, cleared for practice

Fellow running back LeGarrette Blount suffered a stinger in the second quarter of the opener, which left more of the carries for Martin. Blount has been cleared to return to practice and should be ready to contribute in Week 2.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Tampa Bay. For more in-depth coverage, visit Buccaneers blog Bucs Nation. And for more news, notes and analysis from around the league, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub.

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LeGarrette Blount Returns To Bucs Practice

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back LeGarrette Blount has been cleared to return to practice by a Charlotte, N.C., specialist. Blount suffered a stinger in the team's season opener against the Carolina Panthers, and as a precaution, the team sent him to the specialist to get an MRI on his neck and back.

Related: Daily Bucs Links 9/13/12 - Blount had a stinger, cleared for practice

Blount did not return to the Panthers game after suffering the injury in the second quarter, though team doctors cleared him to play at the time. The team wanted to be sure there wasn't any damage to his back or neck, and now that the MRI has come back clean, he can safely return to the field.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Tampa Bay. For more in-depth coverage, visit Buccaneers blog Bucs Nation. And for more news, notes and analysis from around the league, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub.

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Photographs by cstreet.us, thelastminute, turtlemom nancy , fesek, kthypryn, justinwright, sue_elias, pointnshoot, and scrapstothefuture used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.