Tampa, FL (Sports Network) – Rudy Carpenter completed 8-of-11 passes for 79 yards and the game-winning touchdown to lead Tampa Bay to a 20-15 come-from- behind win over Kansas City at Raymond James Stadium.
Buccaneers starting quarterback Josh Freeman went 2-for-4 for 21 yards before leaving the game with a fracture on the tip of his right thumb after the team’s first offensive series.
Josh Johnson took over and went 6-for-10 for 113 yards while Kareem Huggins carried eight times for 44 yards for the Bucs, who evened their preseason mark at 1-1.
Matt Cassel went 14-of-19 for 125 yards and a touchdown and Jackie Battle toted 11 times for 59 yards for the Chiefs, who fell to 0-2 in preseason play.
Connor Barth’s second field goal of the night with 9:42 remaining in the game evened the score at 13.
The Bucs forced the Chiefs to punt and took over at midfield. Carpenter hit Arrelious Benn for 16 yards before two Carlos Brown runs for 29 yards moved the ball to the Chiefs five-yard line. Carpenter then hit Terrence Nunn for the go-ahead score with just over six minutes to play.
Barth’s 31-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 3-0 lead before Cassel’s six-yard scoring pass to Jeremy Horne put Kansas City ahead, 7-3.
The Bucs regained the lead on a 53-yard catch and run for a score by Michael Spurlock only to see the visitors tie the game in the final seconds of the first half on a 28-yard Ryan Succop field goal.
The Chiefs took their first lead late in the third quarter as Tyler Palko engineered a 12-play, 76-yard drive that finished with a 29-yard field goal by Succop.