Bucs somehow hang on when Redskins holder can't
Martin Fennelly, The Tampa Tribune, published 13 December 2010

And so they can dream a little more. By 10 fingers, by the outstretched arms of Kellen Winslow, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still alive in the playoff race, in the race to 10. By 10 fingers, the ones belonging to Washington Redskins holder Hunter Smith, the ones that were supposed to catch the snap for the tying extra point to send it into overtime, the Bucs live.

Tampa Bay's 17-16 win Sunday was an insane game. One the Bucs (8-5) didn't deserve to win. But neither did the Redskins (5-8). And the Bucs live. For nearly 56 minutes, the reality was colder than the rain that fell on them Sunday afternoon at FedEx Field. They were letting it slip away. The Bucs, the young Bucs, had hit the wall.

At the very worst time, the Bucs decided to lose their first game of the season to a team with a losing record, a grisly loss to the Redskins. Raheem Morris' young crew has let it slip away, much like that football that slick football that slipped out of Josh Freeman's hands at the 1-yard line, with the Bucs poised to take the lead early in the fourth quarter.

But there was Freeman, several minutes later, throwing on second and 10 -- and there was Winslow, the richest tight end in football, making the kind of play he has to make. He grabbed it and raced to the end zone. And the Bucs were alive.

Then the defense let the Redskins march down the field, let Donovan McNabb get it within one point with a fourth-down touchdown pass to Santana Moss. Surely, the Bucs would lose in overtime, right?

But the snap on the extra point -- an almost automatic play -- was slightly high and Hunter Smith couldn't hold on. The Bucs did. I'm still not sure how, but they did. And they live.

For the longest time, they didn't deserve to win this game You don't deserve to make the playoffs if you can't win a December game a bad team tries to hand you again and again and again.

You don't deserve the playoffs when you come out and let the other guys trample you, let one of their runners rumble through great, insulting gashes in you defense for 158 yards by halftime.

The Redskins are awful, and they led 10-3 at the half and could have been up 24-3 if not for their ineptitude, or 16-3 if not for missed field goals.

Washington kept the Bucs in the game, all but begged the Bucs to beat them, and the Bucs would have none of it until Freeman hit Winslow for the lead with 3:47 left to play. Freeman added the two-point conversion. The Redskins got the ball and down they came.

Down the Bucs were going to go in overtime. Only there wasn't any. There was no sudden death. Just sudden life.