The Tampa Bay Buccaneers trail the Indianapolis Colts by three, 10-7, after a sloppy first half of football on a national stage. The Bucs attempted a rushed game-tying field goal as time expired, but the Connor Barth attempt was negated when they were flagged for having too many men on the field.
The chaotic attempt was the result of Robert Mathis sack of Josh Freeman – about the only thing the Bucs could not afford to have happen in that situation, as they were well within field goal range with the ball on the 19 yard line. Unfortunately, Desmond Briscoe, one of the fastest players on the team, could not get all the way across the field and to the sideline before the ball was snapped for the Barth attempt.
The end of the half was a microcosm of the Bucs mistakes that persisted over the course of the first 30 minutes. They were flagged nine times for 64 yards, including an illegal touch which nullified an Arrelious Benn touchdown.
The Bucs will receive the kickoff to start the second half, looking to eliminate the penalties and mistakes and trailing by three against a team they were favored to beat by double digits.