Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6 Minnesota Vikings 10 Sunday 26 October 1997 at Houlihan's Stadium
SCORING MIN 4:06-3Q Murray FG28 MIN 0:28-3Q Evans 1 run (Murray kick) TB 4:49-4Q Anthony 2 pass from Dilfer (kick failed)
Minnesota made the game’s biggest play in the third quarter when David Palmer returned a Sean Landeta punt 57 yards to the Bucs’ eight. to set up a one-yard run by Charles Evans that was ruled a touchdown amid some dispute. The Bucs fought back on their next possession, marching 77 yards in just nine plays. Anthony got the ball in the end zone on a two-yard catch on third-and- goal, however the PAT was no good and the Bucs remained down by four. A final desperation pass fell incomplete in the end zone from the Viking 24-yard line.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING BUCS: Dunn 10-39, Alstott 6-8, Dilfer 2-5. VIKINGS: Hoard 18-40, Smith 11-30, Evans 4-17, Williams 1-4, B.Johnson 1-3. PASSING BUCS: Dilfer 29-15-188-0-1. VIKINGS: B.Johnson 29-20-230-0-0. RECEIVING BUCS: Anthony 5-92, Moore 2-35, Williams 2-22, Dunn 2-19, Copeland 2-14, Alstott 2-6. VIKINGS: Carter 7-80, Reed 3-46, Walsh 2-30, DeLong 2-29, Glover 2-26, Smith 2-10, Goodwin 1-5, Hoard 1-4. INTERCEPTIONS BUCS: none. VIKINGS: none. KICK RETURNS BUCS: Anthony 2-42, Ellison 1-12. VIKINGS: none. PUNT RETURNS BUCS: Williams 4-17, Dunn 1-6. VIKINGS: Palmer 5-84. SACKS BUCS: Sapp 1-10, Ahanotu 1-6. VIKINGS: Smith 2-10, Rudd 1-1.
STARTERS OFFENSE DEFENSE LT 74 Gruber LDE 72 Ahanotu LG 60 Pyne DT 77 Culpepper C 61 Mayberry DT 99 Sapp RG 64 Diaz RDE 91 Upshaw RT 70 Odom WLB 55 Brooks TE 80 Harris MLB 56 Nickerson WR 85 Anthony SLB 59 Porter WR 88 Copeland LCB 21 Abraham QB 12 Dilfer SS 47 Lynch FB 40 Alstott FS 22 Mincy RB 28 Dunn RCB 27 Parker PLAYED 4 Walsh, 5 Husted, 7 Landeta, 23 Bouie, 25 Johnson, 29 Gant, 31 Young, 32 Rhett, 37 Ellison, 45 Legette, 50 Gooch, 52 Bellisari, 53 Quarles, 69 Pierson, 71 Wunsch, 73 Middleton, 75 Curry, 78 Jones, 82 Hape, 83 Moore, 84 Thomas, 86 Williams, 90 Maniecki, 97 Jackson INACTIVES 13 Milanovich, 20 Barber, 24 Robinson, 51 Singleton, 65 Dogins, 87 Davis, 91 Upshaw
COMMENTARY CREW Dick Stockton and Matt Millen
GAME HIGHLIGHTS Click on the boxes below to view the clips Warren Sapp introduced himself to his future team-mate Brad Johnson in the first quarter Chidi Ahanotu followed up with a sack of his own later in the first half Reidel Anthony’s touchdown was unfortunately followed by a key missed extra point