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CNNSI.com GROUP
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Postseason blues Bucs continue poor offensive performances in playoffs
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- For the second year in a row, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' title hopes ended because the offense couldn't find the end zone. Tampa gained just 199 yards -- 98 in the fourth quarter -- in a 21-3 loss Sunday to the Philadelphia Eagles in an NFC wild-card game. Last season, all the Bucs could muster were two field goals in an 11-6 loss to the St. Louis Rams in the NFC Championship game. "It's frustrating because I thought we were the better team and we didn't show it," said quarterback Shaun King, who led the Bucs to a thrilling 38-35 victory against St. Louis three weeks ago. Les Steckel replaced Mike Shula as offensive coordinator after last season, and installed a new system to give Warrick Dunn an increased workload and use Mike Alstott more as a blocker and receiver. It didn't work against the Eagles. Dunn, who ran for 1,133 yards this season, had 1 yard on eight carries. He caught five passes for 28 yards. Alstott had 42 yards rushing on seven carries, but caught only two passes for 14 yards. "We were out of sync bad," Dunn said. "We didn't do anything to help the defense at all." Wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson thought the Eagles scouted Tampa's practices. Johnson had six catches for 106 yards, most of them in the fourth quarter. "It was almost like they watched our practices all week," he said. "Everything we did, they matched." The Bucs dropped one pass in each of their first three possessions, including two third-down drops by Dunn. However, Tampa began moving the ball when it got the wind in the second quarter. King completed three consecutive passes for 34 yards, and the Bucs easily moved down the field. But the drive stalled and Tampa settled for a 29-yard field goal by Martin Gramatica, making it 3-0. "When we got three points on that instead of seven, they were probably thinking they were up 4-0 on us because they held us," Johnson said. The turning point came on Tampa's next possession after the Eagles stopped Dunn for losses of 4 and 5 yards, setting up a third-and-19 from the Bucs' 25. King dropped back to pass, was sacked by Douglas, fumbled and Mike Mamula recovered for Philadelphia at the 15. Donovan McNabb made it 7-3 four plays later on a 5-yard touchdown run, and the Bucs never recovered. "It was a big play for them, but it's a play where we have to bounce back, put together a drive and we didn't do it," King said.
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