The Buccaneers’ offense was stagnant for much of the first half, but with less than five minutes to play, they got on the board when Josh Freeman went in on a QB sneak from the one yard line. It was a quick response to the 87 yard Pierre Garcon touchdown.
The Bucs and Freeman averted disaster when Colts safety David Caldwell dropped an interception that hit him in the hands in the end zone. The Bucs capitalized on the mistake, scoring three plays later to cap the eight play, 81 yard drive that took just under five minutes.
The big play of the drive was another pass by Arrelious Benn, who had a first quarter touchdown negated when it was ruled he stepped out-of-bounds first. Freeman hit Benn streaking down the right side of the field for 43 yards, moving the ball from inside their own 20 and across midfield into Colts territory. From there, the Bucs rode Freeman and LeGarrette Blount, with a little help from Caldwell’s dropped pick, to pull within three.