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TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had to take out their frustrations on someone. The Minnesota Vikings continue to look frustrated with each other. Mike Alstott rushed for three touchdowns and Brad Johnson passed for a pair of scores against his former team as the Buccaneers rolled to a 41-14 rout of the Vikings. Among the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, the Bucs entered Sunday having lost three of their last four games and were under .500 after five games for the second time in the last three seasons. But Tampa Bay, which suffered a 20-16 loss at Minnesota earlier this season, dominated its NFC Central Division rival in the second meeting, especially in the first half. Alstott, who got the start in place of an injured Warrick Dunn, rushed for 79 yards and two touchdowns and Johnson threw his TD passes in the first half, when the Bucs raced to a commanding 28-0 advantage. In the first half, the Bucs dominated on both sides of the ball garnering a lopsided 297-44 advantage in total yards and picked up 20 first downs while holding the Vikings without one. Tampa Bay also held the ball for over 22 minutes in the half. "We were focused in practice this week," said Bucs coach Tony Dungy, who is the final year of his contract. "We know what it takes and we played well. This is the first time we put it all together." The most exciting action for the Vikings in the half occurred in the second quarter, when star wide receiver Cris Carter, defensive end Lance Johnstone and rookie linebacker Fearon Wright became involved in heated sideline exchange. Wright had to be yanked away by a teammate so he could get on the field for a special teams play. Afterward, Carter did not talk about the incident, instead opting to comment on the play of the Bucs. "They (Bucs) were in a desperate situation," he said. "There was a tremendous difference in the levels of intensity. They have a lot of old pros with a lot of pride regardless of what people said about them. They played a great game." In a loss at Chicago earlier this season, Carter and fellow star receiver Randy Moss were both seen on the sidelines in a heated exchange with members of their coaching staff. Alstott added an eight-yard touchdown run in the second half and finished with 129 yards on 28 attempts. The bruising fullback, who fell two yards shy of matching the best rushing day in his career, entered the game with 132 yards and one touchdown in five games this season. "This was just things we know how to do," Alstott said. "When we had a chance to control the tempo of the game, we had a lot of possessions and controlled the clock. Everyone just came together and made plays." Sparked by Alstott, the Bucs (3-3) gained a split of their season series with Minnesota for the ninth straight year. The Bucs have won the last three games between the teams in Tampa Bay by a combined 106-44. Johnson, who played for the Vikings from 1994-98, finished an efficient 18-of-25 for 214 yards and two touchdowns. He did most of his damage in the first half, going 16-of-22 for 195 yards. "This was a great win for us in a critical game for both teams," Johnson said. "I think there was a little bit more heat on us playing better football. We tried to have fun and make plays. I think we got into a rhythm. I felt the rhythm in the huddle. Everything we did today was great." Travis Prentice scored on a one-yard run and Daunte Culpepper threw a 25-yard TD pass to Moss in the second half for Minnesota (3-4), had scored 66 points in winning its last two games. "Obviously, Tampa Bay outplayed us today," Vikings coach Dennis Green said. "I though we were ready for their power running game. They are much better than a 3-3 team. We got behind and got frustrated." After getting stopped on their initial drive of the game, the Bucs could not be stopped and scored on their next seven possessions. The much-maligned offense of the Bucs made their first scoring drive an impressive one, going 80 yards in 15 plays, a march that took nearly nine minutes. Johnson kept the drive alive with a three-yard run on a 4th-and-1 play from the Minnesota 39. He also had passes of 11 and 14 yards on the drive to Keyshawn Johnson before Alstott reached the end zone from three yards. Alstott played the role of a battering ram on the Bucs' next possession as they moved 66 yards in nine plays. He had a pair of 11-yard runs on the march and scored on a six-yard run with eight minutes left in the second quarter, making it 14-0. Aaron Stecker, a quick back who was helping to pick up the void left by Dunn, got into the act later in the second quarter. In the face of a strong rush, Brad Johnson dumped the ball off to Stecker, who picked up a bevy of blockers and raced down the right sideline for a 35-yard touchdown, extending the margin to 21-0 with 3:34 left in the half. After forcing yet another three-and-out, the Bucs went to work one last time in the half, going 74 yards in 10 plays. Brad Johsnon completed 8-of-9 passes on the march, including a 16-yard connection with Stecker on 3rd-and-5, moving the ball to the Minnesota 38 and a 21-yard strike to Keyshawn Johnson that advanced the Bucs inside the 10. Brad Johnson capped the drive by finding tight end Dave Moore over the middle for a five-yard TD that opened a 28-0 bulge with 13 seconds left before intermission. While Brad Johnson was enjoying a big half, Culpepper went just 4-of-7 for 24 yards. Tampa Bay continued to dominate in the early stages of the second half and got field goals 44 and 48 yards by Martin Gramatica in the opening 4:55 of the third quarter. The Vikings finally got on the board midway through the third quarter on Prentice's one-yard run. Culpepper ran two yards for the conversion. Alstott capped his big afternoon with an eight-yard TD run late in the third quarter before Culpepper connected with Moss for 25 yards in the fourth.
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