Battering The Bucs

When the wind is swirling at Giants Stadium, you can be sure that scoring will be low. Facing those winds, Tampa and New York combined for only 277 passing yards in the Giants’ 17-3 victory.

Surprisingly, New York came out of the gates firing. After forcing the Bucs’ offense into consecutive “three and out” possessions, the Giants got on the board when Plaxico Burress made a spectacular catch for a touchdown. New York took a 14-0 lead in the second quarter before Tampa had recorded a single first down.

The Bucs moved the ball well at times, but their receivers dropped several passes that killed drives and the Giants defense was dominant for most of the game. New York put the game away in the fourth quarter with an eight-minute drive that ended with a field goal with less than four minutes on the clock. The win improves their record to 5-2 and leaves them with a one-game lead in the division.

Photo of by Tampa Bay's Carnell Williams stopped by Will Demps and Barry Cofield of the New York Giants by AP/Bill Kostroun