Bucs Lose OT Marathon to Raiders
Scott Smith, Buccaneers.com, published 31 October 2016

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers sprinted out to a 10-point lead in the 16 minutes of play on Sunday, but in the end they lost a marathon, falling 30-24 in overtime to the visiting Oakland Raiders. Seth Roberts's 41-yard scoring reception with less than two minutes left in the extra period ended the Buccaneers' first overtime game since a win in Atlanta last Nov. 1, and gave them their first OT loss since a 19-13 decision against Minnesota on Oct. 26, 2014.

"We kept fighting hard," said QB Jameis Winston. "We were at home. We wanted to win there, so the guys kept playing hard. We just wanted it. The guys fought hard but we came up short."

The Buccaneers were eager to return home after recording two straight wins on the road, but they ended up with a very long day at the office, particularly on defense. The Raiders controlled the ball for just over 44 minutes of the game, including a 10:55 to 2:20 edge in the extra period. Tampa Bay's defense got two stops in overtime but couldn't hold the Raiders back on their third try after the Buc offense had run just six plays on two possessions.

"We had our chances but couldn't capitalize," said Head Coach Dirk Koetter. "The defense was on the field way too long. We couldn't do enough offensively to keep them off the field, and that hurt us. We couldn't get our run game and we were inconsistent in our pass game."

The Buccaneers fell to 3-4 with the loss, including an 0-3 mark at Raymond James Stadium. They play again in just four days, a Thursday night home contests against the Atlanta Falcons, who are in first place in the NFC South despite the Buccaneers win in Atlanta in Week One. With preparations for that game beginning on Monday, the Buccaneers will need to move past Sunday's game quickly. Still, it was a tough one to swallow when missed field goals by Oakland's Sebastian Janikowski at the end of regulation and then again early in overtime gave the Bucs new life.

"It was really unfortunate for us that we couldn't capitalize on those two missed field goals, [including one] in overtime, when it was sudden death," said WR Adam Humphries. "We want to go down there and score, and that was our mentality, to win the game on offense. You've got to give them credit for getting the stops."

It was the Raiders' offense, in fact, that rang up 626 total yards, including 498 net passing yards on 40-of-59 passing by third-year QB Derek Carr. That's the most total yards and second-most passing yards the Buccaneers have ever surrendered in a single game; the New York Giants had 510 passing yards against Tampa Bay on Sept. 16, 2012. A week after cracking 500 yards in a win at San Francisco, the Bucs' offense topped out at 270 in Sunday's loss. "You credit Oakland, but I didn't play well enough for us to score," said Winston.

The Buccaneers forged a 10-point lead on a 41-yard Roberto Aguayo field goal and a 19-yard touchdown catch by WR Russell Shepard, his second in as many weeks. Shepard's score came after a Howard Jones fumble recovery caused by a Noah Spence sack, the only turnover of the entire game. They took a 10-3 lead into halftime but Oakland scored twice in the third quarter, on touchdown catches of one yard by T Donald Penn and 34 yards by WR Amari Cooper. Cooper finished the game with 12 catches for 173 yards and a score.

The Buccaneers stormed back in the fourth quarter, first on a five-yard Winston touchdown pass that would have tied the game had Aguayo not hooked his extra point try to the left. The home team than grabbed the lead back on an 82-yard touchdown drive that was aided by four Oakland penalties, three of which moved the chains on would-be third-down plays. The Bucs were saved from attempting two third-and-ones by a pair of 12-men-on-the-field flags. RB Jacquizz Rodgers, who ran 19 times for 69 yards, scored on a one-yard run, though he was hurt on the play and unable to play in overtime.

The Raiders committed a stunning total of 23 penalties for 200 yards, the most and third-most, respectively in a single game in NFL history. However, it was one of the six infractions called on the Buccaneers that kept Oakland alive near the end of regulation. After Rodgers' go-ahead score, the Raiders tied the game with a 75-yard drive ending in TE Mychal Rivera's diving seven-yard touchdown pass. The Buccaneers had appeared to get the stop inside the 10 when Carr's fourth-down pass sailed over the head of WR Michael Crabtree in the corner of the end zone. However, CB Jude Adjei-Barimah was flagged for defensive holding in the middle of the field and the Raiders' drive was extended.

Winston completed 16 of his 32 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns and was only sacked twice. He did not turn the ball over. However, the Bucs' offense repeatedly missed on downfield throws, including one in Evans's direction deep in Oakland territory in overtime. Winston's throw fluttered a bit, leading to a jump ball between Evans and CB DJ Hayden but no flag on this occasion.

"That was one of several opportunities," said Koetter. "Even when they got down there, we were still ahead [at the end of regulation]. Hold them on fourth down and then we get a holding penalty. Shoot, that was the ballgame right there. Our defense held them and we got it on the minus-42. We'd kind of been saving that double-move slot fade to Mike. We had a shot at it, Jameis threw it up there, the wind got it a little bit."

Evans caught four passes for 50 yards and Humphries added three grabs for 58 yards. "We've got to get Mike the ball more," said Koetter. "We've got to get it to him more than four times. There were some balls that were close, and I can't really see where I am how close they were."

The Buccaneers had a 10-3 lead at halftime despite allowing 188 yards of offense to the Raiders. Oakland hurt itself with nine penalties for 76 yards in the first half, and the Bucs' defense held the only time the Raiders penetrated the red zone. The only touchdown before intermission followed the only turnover of the first half, a fumble by Carr on a sack by Spence. The Raiders grabbed the momentum in the second quarter with a series of big plays on offense but converted only one of six third downs before halftime and thus weren't able to sustain drives long enough to score.

The Bucs took the opening kickoff and briefly managed to get into Oakland territory, but a holding call on T Donovan Smith negated a 19-yard Winston scramble across midfield and eventually led to a punt. Amari Cooper was flagged for taunting after a second-down catch on the Raiders' first drive, which helped the Bucs' defense get a three-and-out and a punt. Marquette King's 67-yard punt and a holding penalty completely flipped the field, however, forcing the Bucs to start anew at their own 10.

Despite the long field, the Bucs scored the game's first points, driving 67 yards on 12 plays to set up Aguayo's 41-yard field goal. Evans made a leaping catch over CB David Amerson to convert an early third down, and Winston's scrambling throw to Humphries converted another one and put the ball at Oakland's 16. Khalil Mack's sack kept the Bucs from punching it in from there, however.

Oakland's next drive got off to a good start with Carr's impressive touch pass down the right seam to TE Mychal Rivera for 27 yards. However, three plays later, Spence fired around the right end of the Raiders' line and sacked Carr, forcing a fumble that DE Howard Jones recovered at the Oakland 34. The Bucs turned that takeaway into seven quick points.

Just before the first quarter came to an end, Winston fired a 17-yard laser to a well-covered Cam Brate. After switching sides, Winston faked a handoff, rolled to his right and threw to Shepard downfield. Shepard had CB DJ Hayden in his face but managed to make a fantastic leaping catch and hold on to the ball as he hit the end zone turf.

After an exchange of punts, the Raiders cracked the scoreboard thanks to a well-executed wheel route to FB Jamize Olawale. Olawale got wide open down the right sideline and rumbled for 68 yards, with S Bradley McDougald just getting him out of bounds at the Bucs' three. McDougald's hustle saved points, as the Bucs held there, thanks in part to delay-of-game and pass-interference calls on Oakland. Rookie CB Vernon Hargreaves knocked a third-and-goal pass away from WR Michael Crabtree in the end zone to force the Raiders to settle for Sebastian Janikowski's 31-yard field goal.

The Bucs got across midfield on the ensuing drive but had to punt from Oakland's 42. The strategy worked when Josh Robinson downed Bryan Anger's high, hanging punt at the Raiders' one-yard line. Oakland got out of that hole with a 17-yard catch-and-run by Crabtree and a 28-yard run up the middle by DeAndre Washington. However, the Bucs' defense held at midfield, forcing a punt that put it back at the home team's 12 with 1:06 left in the half. The Bucs ran out the clock and took a 10-3 lead into halftime.

The Raiders tied the game on the opening possession of the second half, with Carr's one-yard run to tackle-eligible Donald Penn capping a 75-yard drive. Carr converted a pair of third downs with sharp passes to Cooper and Roberts then tossed one up deep for Cooper. CB Brent Grimes drew a pass-interference call on the play, making it first-and-goal at the one.

Mack's second sack of the game killed the Bucs' first drive of the second half, and Oakland quickly moved back into Tampa Bay territory. Cooper's 16-yard catch over the middle got the ball to the Bucs' 38. Three plays later, on third-and-six, Carr went up top to Cooper for a 34-yard touchdown and the Raiders' first lead of the day.

An exchange of punts gave the Bucs good field position, starting a drive just across midfield with a minute left in the third quarter. Anger pinned the Raiders deep with a booming 55-yarder while Marquette King shanked his and it rolled only to midfield. Two plays later, Humphries caught a pass over the middle of the field, spun out of a tackle attempt by CB TJ Carrie and sprinted all the way to Oakland's five-yard line on the last play of the quarter.

The Bucs scored on the first play of the second quarter, with Winston throwing out of an empty backfield and finding Brate in the back of the end zone. However, Aguayo pulled his extra point wide to the left, leaving Oakland with a one-point lead.

Tampa Bay's defense got another stop near midfield and started again at their own 18. They got a first down at the 36 when S Karl Joseph was flagged for unnecessary roughness after a hit to Shepard's head. A 12-men-on-the-field flag kept the Bucs from having to run a third-and-one play at midfield, and a rollout pass to TE Luke Stocker moved the chains again. Shepard, who had left the game after Joseph's hit, came back in and immediately drew a pass-interference penalty at the Oakland 21.

Facing a third-and-one, the Bucs saw the chains move a second time on 12-men-on-the-field. After a Winston scramble got the ball to the one-yard line, Rodgers powered over for his first touchdown as a Buccaneer. A two-point conversion pass to Evans restored the Bucs' seven-point lead with 3:48 to play.