2001: Dawkins Stars on Defense as Eagles Overcome Chargers

The Philadelphia Eagles had a 7-4 record and were leading the NFC East as they hosted the San Diego Chargers on December 9, 2001. Under third-year Head Coach Andy Reid the team ran a pass-heavy West Coast offense directed by QB Donovan McNabb. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson’s aggressive, blitz-heavy unit tended to give up rushing yards but had an outstanding defensive backfield anchored by FS Brian Dawkins (pictured at right).

The Chargers, under Head Coach Mike Riley, had gotten off to a surprising 5-2 start but then lost five straight and were 5-7 coming into the game at Philadelphia. 39-year-old QB Doug Flutie was beginning to fade down the stretch, but rookie RB LaDainian Tomlinson was proving worthy of his first-round draft selection. The defense was tough against the run but had difficulty holding onto leads.

On their first possession of the game, which was set up by a 32-yard punt return by RB Brian Mitchell, the Eagles drove 63 yards in six plays. Highlights were Donovan McNabb passes to RB Duce Staley for 28 yards and 31 yards to WR James Thrash that set up a one-yard toss to TE Chad Lewis for a touchdown.

The Chargers made a big play on their next series when Doug Flutie threw a pass that WR Jeff Graham caught by reaching around CB Troy Vincent, who had his back to the throw, and tipping the ball to himself - he then took it all the way to the end zone for a 61-yard TD. With the addition of the extra point, the score was tied at 7-7.

Following a punt by the Eagles on their next possession, it seemed as though San Diego might be on the way to another score. Flutie connected with WR Tim Dwight for a 29-yard gain into Philadelphia territory and a nine-yard completion to LaDainian Tomlinson had the Chargers at the 38 yard line. But on the next play, Tomlinson was unable to maintain control of a pitchout behind the line of scrimmage and Brian Dawkins proceeded to scoop up the ball at the San Diego 49 and return it for a touchdown. Rather than potentially giving up more points, the Eagles were ahead by 14-7.

Once again the tenacious Chargers advanced into Philadelphia territory, but this time CB Bobby Taylor picked off Flutie’s pass at the 24. The Eagles didn’t capitalize this time, but San Diego still had come up empty.

In the second quarter, the Chargers put together another promising drive. In eleven plays, they moved from their 24 to the Philadelphia 16 with Tomlinson running for 16 yards in four carries and Flutie completing a 17-yard pass to WR Curtis Conway in a third-and-14 situation.  But again they failed to put points on the board when Steve Christie’s 34-yard field goal attempt was unsuccessful when it hit the upright.

 

After the teams traded punts, it was time for the Eagles to put together a scoring series. With the ball at their 19 yard line to start, McNabb tossed a screen pass to Staley on first down for a 37-yard gain. Facing fourth-and-one at the San Diego 35, McNabb completed a throw to Thrash for 24 yards to the 11 and three plays later Staley caught an eight-yard touchdown toss. 

The first half scoring wasn’t over, however. The Chargers, now down by 14 points, responded by going 71 yards in seven plays, six of them Flutie passes and one of them an 11-yard carry by the diminutive quarterback. The big completion along the way was for 29 yards to Conway and the series ended with Flutie tossing a 10-yard TD pass to Graham. The score was 21-14 in favor of the home team at the half despite Flutie’s 229 passing yards.

The Eagles defense dominated the anticlimactic second half as the Chargers, who had moved the ball effectively but had difficulty scoring in the first half, were unable to penetrate Philadelphia territory again until late in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia started off the third quarter with a long drive that stalled at the San Diego 36 and resulted in Sean Landeta’s punt pinning the Chargers down at their five, and from there the battle for field position worked against the visitors (Landeta punted 10 times during the contest).

In the fourth quarter, Dawkins made another big defensive play for the Eagles when his tackle of Flutie forced a fumble that was recovered by DT Hollis Thomas at the San Diego 26. It set up a David Akers field goal from 37 yards that proved to be the last score of the game.

San Diego’s last-gasp effort began with 5:29 left on the clock. Starting at his four yard line, Flutie hit TE Freddie Jones on passes that covered 34 and 20 yards and then followed up with a throw to Dwight for 13 yards to the Philadelphia 29. However, after reaching the 19 the Chargers were forced to try for a field goal and once again Christie missed, this time from 37 yards. That ended any comeback hopes and the Eagles won by a final score of 24-14.

The Chargers actually outgained the Eagles (393 yards to 273) and had more first downs (18 to 14). However, San Diego also turned the ball over four times, to two by Philadelphia, and was penalized seven times, at a cost of 67 yards, to four flags thrown on the home team.

Donovan McNabb completed 22 of 44 passes for 221 yards with two touchdowns and an interception and, tellingly, was also the club’s leading rusher with 39 yards on 7 carries. Duce Staley had difficulty against San Diego’s tough run defense and gained just 21 yards on 15 attempts, but was more effective as a pass receiver with 5 catches for 88 yards and a TD. James Thrash and WR Todd Pinkston also had 5 receptions, for 74 and 17 yards, respectively. Brian Dawkins had a noteworthy defensive performance as he recorded eight tackles, forced a key fumble, and returned another fumble for a touchdown.

For the Chargers, Doug Flutie (pictured below) went to the air 44 times and completed 20 of those passes for 307 yards and two TDs with two picked off. He also ran 8 times for 45 yards. LaDainian Tomlinson gained just 51 yards on 19 carries and had the fumble that led directly to an Eagles score. Jeff Graham led the receivers with 5 catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns.

“A lot of times when you play good teams they cause you to make mistakes,” said Mike Riley. “Their defense is darn good, the best we’ve seen.”

“We fought our tails off, but they have a good defense,” echoed Doug Flutie.

The Eagles went on to win the NFC East with an 11-5 record, advancing to the conference title game before succumbing to the Rams. San Diego failed to win another contest and ended up at the bottom of the AFC West at 5-11.

Brian Dawkins, in his sixth year out of Clemson, gained first-team All-NFL recognition for the first of an eventual four times and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second of eight career occurrences. He intercepted two passes, recovered two fumbles, and was credited with 58 tackles.

Duce Staley’s rushing and receiving totals against the Chargers proved to be typical of his performances throughout the season. He ended up rushing for 604 yards on 166 carries (3.6 avg.) and two touchdowns and gained another 626 yards with 63 pass receptions (co-leading the club along with James Thrash) for a 9.9 average gain and two more TDs.

In his last full season as a starting quarterback, Doug Flutie passed for 3464 yards and 15 touchdowns along with a NFL-career high 18 interceptions. Still nimble late in his career, he also rushed for 192 yards. The ex-Boston College star continued as a reserve for four more years, three of them backing up Drew Brees, a rookie in ’01, before finishing out his career behind Tom Brady in New England.

1979: Cowboys Beat Eagles in NFC East Showdown with TD on Deflected Pass

The Philadelphia Eagles had secured a postseason berth and were looking to win a division title for the first time since 1960 as they hosted the Dallas Cowboys on December 8, 1979. Head Coach Dick Vermeil’s team had a 10-4 record, putting them a game ahead of the 9-5 Cowboys and Washington Redskins.

The Cowboys, under Head Coach Tom Landry, had lost to the Eagles at home and were looking to return the favor. The offense was fundamentally sound with QB Roger Staubach, running backs Tony Dorsett and Robert Newhouse, and wide receivers Drew Pearson and Tony Hill. But while the defensive line was formidable, as a whole the unit had been inconsistent and in upheaval – such as when starting LB Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson was abruptly cut from the team due to a poor attitude. In addition, Pearson was out with an injury for the rematch with the Eagles.

There was a big and enthusiastic crowd of 71,434 in attendance at Veterans Stadium. It was a windy day in Philadelphia, with gusts of up to 40 mph, making passing difficult. The Cowboys scored less than two minutes into the first quarter. On Philadelphia’s third play from scrimmage, QB Ron Jaworski threw a pass intended for RB Billy Campfield that the receiver tipped and it was intercepted by SS Randy Hughes, who returned it 24 yards to the Philadelphia eight yard line. RB Scott Laidlaw ran for a one-yard touchdown.

Midway through the opening quarter, the Eagles put together a promising series as Jaworski passed to TE Keith Krepfle for 15 yards and to RB Wilbert Montgomery for 35 on a third-and-10 play. The drive finally stalled at the Dallas 10 yard line and Philadelphia settled for a 27-yard field goal by Tony Franklin.

Just before the first quarter ended, the Cowboys scored again when Rafael Septien kicked a 40-yard field goal, finishing off an 11-play, 44-yard drive. The score was 10-3 in favor of the visitors.

In the second quarter, Tony Dorsett fumbled to set up an Eagles score. Jaworski threw to Montgomery for a 14-yard touchdown to cap an 11-play, 77-yard series that was highlighted by a 24-yard gain on a pass from Jaworski to WR Harold Carmichael. There was 2:40 left in the half, and the tally remained knotted at 10-10 at the midway point.

Rookie RB Ron Springs (pictured at top) came in for Dorsett, who suffered a shoulder separation on the play in which he fumbled and was done for the day. With the game tied in the third quarter, the Cowboys put together a 52-yard drive in which Springs ran three times for 17 yards and Robert Newhouse twice for 12 yards before going around right end on a sweep for a 17-yard touchdown.

The Dallas defense shut the Eagles down on their next series. Upon regaining the ball, the Cowboys went 56 yards in 14 plays that covered over six minutes. Springs had five carries for 22 yards and, on a third-and-eight play, Staubach scrambled for 13 yards. The Cowboys scored when Staubach’s pass intended for Tony Hill was deflected by LB Frank Lemaster and WR Butch Johnson, the replacement for the injured Drew Pearson, dove and caught it for a TD.

The Eagles weren’t finished and made it a seven-point game with 5:51 to play as Montgomery scored again on a one-yard run to cap an 11-play, 65-yard series. Along the way, Jaworski threw to WR Scott Fitzkee for 17 yards and to Montgomery for 33.

With time running out in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, the Eagles advanced to the Dallas 17 yard line. But on a third-and-ten play, DE Harvey Martin sacked Jaworski for a 12-yard loss and the fourth down pass against a heavy blitz fell incomplete. The Cowboys won by a score of 24-17.

The statistics indicated the closeness of the contest. Philadelphia had the edge in total yards (284 to 279) while the Cowboys had more first downs (19 to 18). The Eagles had far more net passing yards (204 to 94) but Dallas was more effective on the ground (185 to 80), which was crucial in putting together long drives that ran time off the clock. Each team turned the ball over once.

Reflecting the difficulty of passing in the windy conditions, Roger Staubach completed just 11 of 21 passes for 105 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Robert Newhouse led the runners with 68 yards and a TD on 12 carries, but Ron Springs was effective in place of the injured Tony Dorsett, also running the ball 12 times, for 62 yards. Before exiting, Dorsett gained 36 yards on 9 attempts. Tony Hill and RB Preston Pearson each caught a team-leading three passes, for 33 and 27 yards, respectively.

For the Eagles, Ron Jaworski was successful on 13 of 36 throws for 216 yards and a TD with the one early pickoff. Wilbert Montgomery (pictured at left) was the offensive star as he ran the ball 23 times for 65 yards and a touchdown and caught four passes for 93 yards and another score.

“Tony’s a great back,” said Ron Springs of Dorsett. “I’m just glad they called on me to run the ball. This is a great thrill. I hoped to have a great game so they wouldn’t miss Tony so badly.”

The win pulled the Cowboys into a tie for first in the NFC East with the Eagles and clinched a playoff spot. While both teams won their final games of the regular season the next week to end up at 11-5, the stunning come-from-behind victory for Dallas over the Redskins gave the Cowboys the division title over the Eagles thanks to the conference record tiebreaker (Washington was ultimately denied a playoff spot altogether). They were upset by the Rams in the Divisional round of the postseason. Philadelphia won its Wild Card game over the Bears but also was upset at the Divisional level, by the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As for the two players who came off the bench for the Cowboys to play key roles in the win over Philadelphia, Ron Springs rushed for 248 yards on 67 carries (3.7 avg.) with two touchdowns and also caught 25 passes for another 251 yards (10.0 avg.) and a TD. Butch Johnson, in his fourth year with the team, had 6 pass receptions for 105 yards and the one touchdown.

Wilbert Montgomery, the 1977 sixth-round draft choice who had emerged as a star in ‘78, remained a key all-purpose cog in Philadelphia’s offense. He garnered a league-leading 2006 yards from scrimmage, which included a team-record 1512 rushing yards and 494 yards on 41 pass receptions, and scored 14 touchdowns. For the second straight year he was selected to the Pro Bowl.

1981: Largent has Big Day as Seahawks Upset Jets

The New York Jets, after a slow start to the 1981 NFL season, had won five straight games and were 8-4-1 as they faced the Seattle Seahawks on December 6. Granted, Seattle was the last team to have beaten them, but the Jets seemed likely to keep up the momentum. Coached by Walt Michaels, whose job had seemed insecure earlier in the year, they had a productive offense directed by QB Richard Todd, although it was the defense that received most of the publicity – in particular, the line known as “The New York Sack Exchange” that consisted of ends Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko and tackles Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam.

Seattle had gotten off to a disastrous 1-6 start before beating the Jets in New York. Head Coach Jack Patera’s team had won twice more and was playing better but was at 4-9 coming into the rematch. In addition, Dave Krieg, a little-known second-year backup out of tiny Milton College, was filling in at quarterback for the injured Jim Zorn and making his first pro start. He was fortunate in having a dependable target in star WR Steve Largent (pictured above) and, thanks to a midseason trade, the presence of RB Theotis Brown in the backfield.

There were 53,105 fans in attendance at the Kingdome in Seattle. The Seahawks got an early break when the Jets, lined up to punt from their own territory after going three-and-out on the opening possession, had a bad snap get away from punter Chuck Ramsey. Getting the ball at the New York 11, Seattle scored in three plays as Krieg threw to WR Sam McCullum from seven yards out. The extra point attempt failed, however, but the home team was up by 6-0.

That was still the situation in the second quarter when the Jets, getting the ball in Seattle territory after Jeff West’s pass from punt formation fell incomplete, scored a touchdown when Richard Todd passed to RB Scott Dierking from 11 yards out. The game remained tied at 6-6, though, when Pat Leahy slipped while attempting the extra point and his low kick was blocked.

The Seahawks responded by driving into New York territory as Krieg fired a 20-yard completion to Steve Largent and hit TE John Sawyer for 18. But LB Lance Mehl intercepted a Krieg pass at his own 26 to end the threat. The Jets responded in kind, however, as FS John Harris picked off a long throw by Todd at the Seattle 13 and returned it 14 yards. Two plays later, Krieg connected with Largent for a 48-yard gain to the New York 25, and two plays after that Theotis Brown took a pitchout and went 21 yards for a TD. This time the extra point try was successful and the Seahawks were back in front by 13-6.

The Jets used up the remaining 5:15 of the first half with a series that covered 67 yards in 14 plays. Todd completed four passes, including two that converted third downs, and Leahy booted a 26-yard field goal to narrow Seattle’s lead to 13-9 at halftime.

New York had a big defensive play to start the third quarter as CB Jerry Holmes intercepted a Krieg pass at the Seattle 28 on the first play from scrimmage. Five plays later Dierking ran for a 15-yard touchdown and, with Leahy’s successful conversion, a 16-13 lead for the Jets.

Following a short possession by the Seahawks, New York drove into Seattle territory but Leahy’s 50-yard field goal attempt sailed wide. The home team responded by marching 68 yards down the field in 12 plays. Krieg (pictured at left) completed six straight passes, including a third-and-seven toss to Largent for 11 yards, and finished off the drive with a one-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown. Seattle was back in front by 20-16 heading into the final period.

In the fourth quarter, the Jets advanced once again into Seattle territory as Todd completed passes to WR Johnny “Lam” Jones for 30 yards and HB Bruce Harper for 18. The series ended when Todd threw an incompletion in a fourth-and-one situation, but New York regained the ball a play later after Theotis Brown fumbled and Joe Klecko recovered at the Seattle 35. Todd tossed a one-yard scoring pass to RB Kevin Long and New York was ahead by 23-20 with 9:21 left in the game.

It took the Seahawks just two plays from scrimmage to respond. They went 77 yards thanks to a pair of passes to Largent. Largent caught the go-ahead touchdown pass after getting behind safety Jesse Johnson at the 17 yard line and sprinted into the end zone for a 57-yard TD.

The Jets were unable to recover. Following a short series, they punted and the Seahawks put together a long drive that ran over five minutes off the clock. Krieg started it off with a 29-yard bootleg and, grinding along on the ground, Seattle reached the New York 25. While Wilson Alvarez’s 43-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Mark Gastineau, there were less than two minutes on the clock as the Jets took over. They were unable to move the ball, with Todd completing just two of seven passes and the Seahawks held on for a 27-23 win.

The Jets had the edge in total yards (395 to 383) and first downs (23 to 18). In fact, the statistics across the board were as close as the score indicated. Seattle had more rushing yards (127 to 119) while the Jets had the advantage in passing yards (286 to 264). Each team recorded a sack and was penalized six times. The Seahawks turned the ball over four times to New York’s three.

Dave Krieg had a solid performance in his initial start, completing 20 of 26 passes for 264 yards with two touchdowns against three interceptions and rushing for 30 yards on five carries. Steve Largent was the receiving star, catching 7 passes for 169 yards and including the game-winning TD. Theotis Brown ran for 73 yards and a touchdown in 18 attempts.

For the Jets, Richard Todd went to the air 51 times and completed 27 of those throws for 286 yards and two touchdowns with two intercepted. Kevin Long was the top runner with 51 yards in 11 carries and Scott Dierking contributed four attempts for 33 yards and a TD and also caught 7 passes for 60 yards and another score. Bruce Harper had 8 pass receptions out of the backfield for 67 yards, both team-leading figures.

“David’s play was outstanding,” said a happy Coach Patera. “I can’t say enough about his performance.”

The loss knocked the Jets out of a first place tie with Miami in the AFC East and temporarily put their playoff chances in doubt, but they won their last two games to finish second in the division with a 10-5-1 record and secured a Wild Card berth in the postseason. They lost their first round game to the division-rival Buffalo Bills, who had come in third. Seattle split its final two contests to end up in the basement of the AFC West at 6-10.

Steve Largent was selected to the Pro Bowl for the third time in his Hall of Fame career as he caught 75 passes for 1224 yards (16.3 avg.) and nine touchdowns. The 169 receiving yards against the Jets were his career high at the time, but he would ultimately exceed that total on two occasions.

Dave Krieg, who had appeared in just one game as an undrafted rookie in 1980 and threw two incomplete passes, made the most of his opportunity in ’81 and showed promise as he completed 64 of 122 throws (57.1 %) for 843 yards and 7 touchdowns with 5 interceptions. It would be two more years before he would take the starting job away from Jim Zorn for good, but he would play a total of 12 seasons in Seattle, through 1991, before moving on to the Chiefs and would be selected to the Pro Bowl after three of those seasons while the Seahawks made it to the playoffs four times.

2010: Falcons Rally to Beat Buccaneers

The Atlanta Falcons had won five straight games and were at 9-2 as they faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 5, 2010. Head Coach Mike Smith’s team had a well-balanced offense with third-year QB Matt Ryan (pictured at right) throwing to WR Roddy White and 14^th-year veteran TE Tony Gonzalez and RB Michael Turner, coming off of an injury-plagued ’09 season, providing power to the ground game. They had been winning efficiently, not having given up a turnover in the previous four games.

The Buccaneers, a young team under second-year Head Coach Raheem Morris, had a 7-4 record, which was a significant turnaround after going 3-13 in 2009. QB Josh Freeman was proving to be effective in his first full year in the starting lineup. Unheralded RB LeGarrette Blount had been waived by Tennessee and claimed by Tampa Bay with good results and WR Mike Williams, a rookie drafted in the fourth round out of Syracuse, was also proving to be surprisingly effective. But while they were undefeated against losing teams, they had yet to prove themselves against contending clubs and had already lost to Atlanta four weeks earlier.

The Buccaneers wore 1970s-era throwback uniforms for the late afternoon game at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. The teams traded punts before the Falcons drove to the game’s first score. Matt Ryan completed two passes to Tony Gonzalez that gained 14 and 17 yards, respectively, and Michael Turner carried the ball four times for 21 yards that included a five-yard touchdown.

The Buccaneers responded with an 86-yard drive that took 11 plays and was highlighted by Josh Freeman scrambling for 17 yards and LeGarrette Blount running for 20 yards to set up his six-yard carry for a TD. Connor Barth’s extra point tied the game at 7-7, which was the tally heading into the second quarter.

Neither club was able to put together another effective drive until midway through the period when Atlanta went 64 yards in eight plays. Ryan completed passes of 15 yards to WR Michael Jenkins and 21 yards to WR Harry Douglas to reach the Tampa Bay 24, and on a third-and-ten play hit FB Ovie Mughelli for a 17-yard touchdown.

Following a short possession by the Bucs, the Falcons got the ball back but turned it over when Ryan, throwing deep for Gonzalez, was intercepted by SS Sean Jones, who returned it 31 yards to the Atlanta 30 with 1:39 left in the first half. It was Atlanta’s first turnover in five games, and it cost them. Tampa Bay capitalized seven plays later when Freeman tossed a one-yard TD pass to Mike Williams. The teams went into halftime tied at 14-14.

The Buccaneers took the lead on the first series of the second half. On the second play, Blount ran 28 yards to the Atlanta 38 yard line and, after reaching the 15, Barth kicked a 33-yard field goal that made the score 17-14. That was it for the third quarter scoring as a long 12-play drive by the Buccaneers from their nine to the Atlanta 41 came up empty.

In the fourth quarter, Ryan was intercepted again, this time by FS Corey Lynch to give the Bucs the ball at the Atlanta 39. Once again they made the most of it as Freeman completed passes to Williams for nine yards and WR Arrelious Benn for 28. FB Earnest Graham tossed a two-yard option pass to TE John Gilmore for a touchdown and, with the successful PAT, Tampa Bay was ahead by ten points.

The margin didn’t last long, however, as the ensuing kickoff was returned 102 yards for a TD by WR Eric Weems. A short possession by the Buccaneers resulted in a punt and the Falcons took over at their 33 with 8:30 left on the clock. It didn’t look promising when they found themselves facing a third-and-20 situation, backed up to their 23, but Ryan completed a pass to Roddy White for 25 yards to keep the series alive. Turner ran for nine yards on two carries and a pass interference call on the Bucs gave Atlanta a first down at the Tampa Bay 33. Another untimely penalty on the Bucs helped the Falcons along and the 10-play, 67-yard drive finally ended with Ryan tossing a nine-yard touchdown pass to Jenkins. The successful extra point made it a four-point lead for Atlanta.

Tampa Bay had another shot and, with Freeman throwing on every play, moved the ball 35 yards in nine plays. However, after a 19-yard completion to WR Sammie Stroughter put the ball on the Atlanta 27, Freeman was intercepted by CB Brent Grimes and the Falcons were able to run out the clock to come away with a 28-24 win.

The Buccaneers gained more yards (325 to290) while Atlanta had the edge in first downs (20 to 19). The Falcons turned the ball over twice, to one given up by Tampa Bay. However, the Bucs were penalized nine times, sometimes in key situations, at a cost of 102 yards to six flags being thrown on Atlanta.

Matt Ryan completed 18 of 36 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions and was at his best during the fourth quarter comeback. Michael Turner rushed for 88 yards on 24 carries that included a TD. Roddy White caught 7 passes for 74 yards.

For the Buccaneers, Josh Freeman (pictured below) was successful on 19 of 38 throws for 181 yards with a TD and one picked off; he also ran the ball four times for 28 yards. LeGerrette Blount gained 103 rushing yards in 20 attempts and scored a touchdown. Mike Williams topped the receivers with 6 catches for 68 yards and a score.

 “When you come out and you don’t play as well as you like, but you still find a way to win, those are signs of a good football team,” said Matt Ryan. “We feel like today was a good example of that for us.”

“We felt like we really outplayed them for most of the game, but it’s the NFL,” said Josh Freeman from the Tampa Bay side. “You have to find a way to win in the fourth quarter nearly every week, and today we weren’t able to do that.”

The Falcons went on to top the NFC South and gain top seed in the playoffs with a 13-3 record. However, they were badly beaten by the streaking Green Bay Packers at the Divisional level. Tampa Bay won three of its remaining four games to end up at 10-6 and third in the division, but just missed out on the postseason. The season of promise proved fleeting for the Buccaneers, who collapsed to 4-12 in 2011.

Matt Ryan passed for 3705 yards and 28 touchdowns with just 9 interceptions and was chosen to the Pro Bowl. Michael Turner led the NFC in rushing with 1371 yards and scored 12 touchdowns, also receiving Pro Bowl recognition. Roddy White (pictured above) was a consensus first team All-Pro as well as Pro Bowl choice while leading the NFL in pass receptions (115) and the conference in receiving yards (1389) despite being hindered by a knee injury late in the season.

Josh Freeman placed sixth in the league in passing (95.9 rating) while throwing for 3451 yards and 25 TDs with six interceptions while also rushing for 364 yards. LeGarrette Blount rushed for 1007 yards on 201 carries (5.0 avg.) in his 13 games of action, making him the NFL’s top rookie ground gainer.