But for the Bucs to regain their momentum, they’ll need to cut down on the penalties that cost them dearly in Sunday’s loss to the Colts.
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After another Vinatieri field goal made it 19-12 and a fifth was wiped out when Tampa Bay (5-6) was called for leaping, Hasselbeck took advantage of Indy’s second chance and found Hilton for a 3-yard TD pass that made it 25-12 with 5:53 to play. After a rugged start, Tampa Bay’s new franchise quarterback has rallied to win three of four and gotten the Buccaneers back into playoff contention. “He said, ‘Absolutely.’ I anticipate that he’ll be very helpful (and) my goal is really just to kind of hold the fort down until he gets back”.
“I was annoyed with a lot that was going on”, said OL Logan Mankins, flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after he shoved a Colts player.
The only guy on the roster older than Hasselbeck might be the only one playing better at the moment. This is the kind of convergence I like to play.
Hasselbeck’s humility is admirable, but he’s selling himself short. As a result, they fell to 5-6 while the Colts improved to 6-5, a winning record. Luck could miss at least two more games. Minnesota has just three takeaways in its past six games, including no forced turnovers in four of its past five.
Winston still dreams of adding most of those lines to his resume and one more that Hasselbeck hasn’t yet achieved: Super Bowl champ.
The key to Hasselbeck’s success is rooted in efficiency.
It was a vintage Matt Hasselbeck-led drive to start: The Colts scraped their way into Buccaneers’ territory, enough for Adam Vinatieri to drill a 49-yard field goal to give the Colts the lead. They’ve won each time, and since 1998 are 54-4 in the regular season when they don’t turn the ball over.
While it is usually a bad idea to pick a home team getting as many points as Buffalo is getting, I just feel Kansas City has hit stride and is on top of their game. But in this space right now, I’ll point out something else that was noticeable on Sunday: the wide receiver duo of T.Y.
“You want to get hot at the right time”.
Doug Martin was effective in the first half, rushing for 90 yards and going over 1,000 for the season.
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NOTES: Colts LB Jerrell Freeman suffered a hamstring injury during the third quarter and did not return…
