Key to the season
Rick Stroud, The St.Petersburg Times, published 10 December 2001

Sooner or later this year, Keyshawn Johnson was going to catch a touchdown pass. The streak couldn't last forever. However, had Johnson's first TD catch come any later than on his 93rd reception, it might not have mattered if the next one came at all. When Johnson climbed up the back of Lions cornerback Jimmy Wyrick to snare quarterback Brad Johnson's game- deciding jump ball with those spider webs he calls hands Sunday, a season hung in the balance.

Anything short of the 15-12 triumph that Keyshawn's catch produced for the Bucs was simply unacceptable. The consequences were just too dire. Most on the field knew it, but not Johnson. “I don't dig into it that deep,” said Keyshawn, who addressed the media afterward in a casual ensemble that included a T-shirt bearing the appropriate nickname, Iceman. “I'm not out there trying to save a season. I was just trying to win a football game.”

In making that catch, his league-leading and team record-setting 93rd of the season, Keyshawn clearly did both. The victory keeps the Bucs in control of their playoff destiny. Better still, when coupled with the Packers' victory Sunday against the Bears, it gives them an outside chance of winning the NFC Central Division title. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. The Bucs (7-5) remain two games behind the NFC Central leaders. And while watching the Lions (0-12) take them to the brink of disaster, it was evident that the homestretch could indeed be a bumpy ride. The Bucs offense struggled to beat a winless team. Tampa Bay gained an acceptable 3.7 yards per carry and 305 yards through the air, but eight of its 11 drives were for 27 yards or less. The offense also turned the ball over twice and surrendered four more sacks, giving them 43 sacks allowed for the season and putting them back on pace to break the team record of 56.

And worst of all, when it had a chance to build on a 7-3 lead in the waning moments of the first half, Bucs coaches suffered a cerebrum cramp. Instead of kicking a field goal or declining a penalty and running a play from the goal line, the Bucs accepted a penalty that moved the ball back to the 3 and tried to run a pass play. “That was just dumb on my part,” said Tony Dungy, who watched a predictable outcome unfold as time ran out.

Under pressure immediately, the right-handed Brad Johnson was forced to toss a desperation pass underhanded with his left hand that fell just short of the diving Jacquez Green's hands in the end zone. “We were trying to hit a quick out but the play just took too long to develop,” Johnson said. “The play just wasn't there.”

There weren't many plays there for the Lions to make, either. Though it ground out 102 yards rushing and received a poised effort from rookie quarterback Mike McMahon, Detroit never threatened to move the ball into the end zone. “We did some good things, but we didn't do enough good things,” Lions receiver Johnnie Morton said. “We didn't kill ourselves today, but we need to find a way to close the door on teams.”

Perhaps the same can be said for the Bucs. They failed to take advantage of several opportunities to put Detroit away and allowed the Lions to slowly build a 12-7 advantage on four Jason Hanson field goals. They rallied to win, though, and that has become a trend for the Bucs. This was the fifth time this season that they came back to win after falling behind in the fourth quarter. “We just don't panic,” Brad Johnson said of the team's prowess in pressure situations. “We perform when we have to perform,” Dungy said. “The big-play guys step up and make plays and they did that today.”

The biggest play, of course, was made by Keyshawn, who had three other catches for 46 yards on the drive before hauling in that 13-yard game-winner. One of those was a 15-yard reception on fourth-and-8 that came just moments after he made sure he was integral part of the drive. “When you're [about to fall] to 6-6, you say `Enough is enough,' “ said Keyshawn, who openly lobbied Dungy for the ball. “I told 'em, `This is the time you've got to put the football in my hands,' and he said, `Don't worry. We are, we are.' “

Considering the results, it's hard to argue with Keyshawn's seemingly selfish approach. “When the lights go on,” Bucs general manager Rich McKay said, “he makes the plays.”