Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27 Chicago Bears 15 Sunday 20 September 1998 at Raymond James Stadium
SCORING CHI 10:59-1Q Jaeger FG26 CHI 6:22-1Q Milburn 93 punt return (Jaeger kick) CHI 2:00-2Q Safety - Dilfer stepped out of endzone CHI 0:00-2Q Jaeger FG52 TB 5:08-3Q Anthony 13 pass from Dilfer (2pt conversion failed) TB 1:35-3Q Moore 44 pass from Dilfer (Husted kick) TB 13:55-4Q Dunn 43 run (Hunter pass from Dilfer) TB 5:44-4Q Alstott 3 run (2pt conversion failed)
The opening of the new stadium but after 30 minutes, the script was wrong. The Bears led 15-0 and it should have been more. Then the first-night nerves wore off and the real Bucs showed up for the second half, pounding out four unanswered scores and sending the sell-out crowd home very happy.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING BUCS: Alstott 20-103, Dunn 10-82, Anthony 1-32, Dilfer 6-3, Neal 1-0. BEARS: Enis 15-48, Bennett 6-28, Chancey 3-9, Morris 1-0. PASSING BUCS: Dilfer 18-12-147-0-2. BEARS: Kramer 32-19-169-0-0. RECEIVING BUCS: Anthony 5-56, Moore 2-53, Williams 2-23, Hunter 1-13, Dunn 1-4, Alstott 1-(-2). BEARS: Conway 4-77, Engram 3-29, Wetnight 3-13, Bennett 3- 10, Penn 2-21, Enis 2-5, Chancey 1-9, Mayes 1-5. INTERCEPTIONS BUCS: none. BEARS: none. KICK RETURNS BUCS: Anthony 3-64. BEARS: Milburn 6-110. PUNT RETURNS BUCS: Williams 2-26. BEARS: Milburn 2-106. SACKS BUCS: none. BEARS: Thierry 1-3.
STARTERS OFFENSE DEFENSE LT 74 Gruber DE 72 Ahanotu LG 64 Diaz DT 77 Culpepper C 61 Mayberry DT 99 Sapp RG 73 Middleton DE 91 Upshaw RT 70 Odom LLB 50 Gooch TE 83 Moore MLB 56 Nickerson WR 85 Anthony RLB 55 Brooks WR 86 Williams LCB 21 Abraham FB 40 Alstott RCB 27 Parker RB 28 Dunn SS 47 Lynch QB 12 Dilfer FS 22 Mincy PLAYED 5 Husted, 6 Barnhardt, 19 Hunter, 20 Barber, 23 Bouie, 24 Robinson, 25 Kelly, 37 Ellison, 41 Neal, 51 Singleton, 53 Quarles, 54 Palmer, 59 Duncan, 65 Dogins, 69 Pierson, 71 Wunsch, 78 Jones, 80 Davis, 82 Hape, 84 Thomas, 94 White, 97 Jackson DID NOT PLAY 4 Walsh INACTIVES 13 Milanovich, 26 Abdullah, 31 Young, 75 Washington, 81 Green, 87 Emanuel, 90 Maniecki, 98 Cannida
COMMENTARY CREW Dick Stockton and Matt Millen