1981 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season The 1981 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on an 5 - 10 - 1 season . The team was considered to be superior to the 1979 team that finished the season one game shy of the Super Bowl . With the running game and special teams ineffective , the Buccaneers depended heavily on the pass , and particularly on the big play . Jimmie Giles returned to form , establishing numerous team receiving records . Doug Williams became ( with Jim Zorn ) the second active quarterback to need only four seasons to reach the 10 , 000 career passing yards mark . The defense improved over the previous season , a change that McKay attributed to less reliance on blitzes , and a general improvement in speed due to changes in the secondary and the drafting of Hugh Green . Their defense allowed the fewest touchdowns of any NFL team , and was described by opponents as " outstanding " and " almost awesome " . The team was dogged by inconsistent play throughout the season . Players and coaches believed the Buccaneers to be a playoff - worthy team , but a tendency to self - destruct kept them on the edge of the playoff race , thanks in part to a failure of any other team to take control in either the NFC Central division or the NFC wild - card chase . " We make more mistakes at crucial times than any team I ' ve ever been associated with " , said ex - Buckeyes , - Raiders , and - Dolphins safety Neal Colzie . Opposing coach Dick Vermeil said , " I ' m not sure they know how good they are " , after his Philadelphia Eagles team beat the Buccaneers despite having been outplayed . Nevertheless , the team developed a maturity through the season which allowed them to remain competitive instead of collapsing when behind or when being outplayed . Late - season coaching adjustments improved the effectiveness of the offense and cut down on opposing teams ' ability to control the ball against the defense . This resulted in their playing with more confidence , and less predictability . It also resulted in a three - game winning streak that put them in control of the division race . The regular season culminated in a season - finale matchup between the Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions , two 8 - 7 teams vying for the division lead in the Pontiac Silverdome , where the Lions had gone undefeated all season . The Buccaneers won and entered the playoffs as the number three seed in the NFC , where they lost to the Dallas Cowboys in a 38 - 0 rout which tied the NFL record for largest margin of victory in a playoff game . Offseason . NFL Draft . Draft trades . The Buccaneers ' third - round pick was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 1978 , for guard Greg Horton . Their fifth - round pick had been traded to the Oakland Raiders in 1978 as part of the trade for quarterback Mike Rae . Their sixth - round pick was traded to the New Orleans Saints in 1979 for punter Tom Blanchard . Finally , their seventh - round pick went to Dallas as part of the previous season ' s trade for Dave Stalls . Draft selections . Pittsburgh defensive end Hugh Green was a surprise selection , as the Buccaneers were considered to need help in the secondary , and were expected to pick either USC safety Ronnie Lott or UCLA safety Kenny Easley ( who had already been taken by the Seattle Seahawks by the time of Tampa Bay ' s selection ) . Green ' s Pittsburgh team produced eight NFL starters , believed to be the most by far from any single college team . By contrast , the Georgia team that finished ahead of them in the national championship race produced only two NFL players , neither of them a starter . Personnel director Ken Herock described Green as " dominating . . . a heavy hitter . . . an impact player " and said that there was no choice but to draft him . Scouting services described him as a 220 - lb linebacker with the lateral movement of a 180 - lb cornerback . It was doubly surprising that , considering their fondness for ex - USC players , the Buccaneers would pass over Lott to select a player at a position at which they already were so deeply stocked with talent . However , the staff did not deliberate long before calling his name , and soon felt him worthy of Rookie of the Year honors . With no premier defensive backs available in the second round , and with running back having been identified by the coaching staff as a problem area of the team , they selected Missouri running back James Wilder . Wilder ' s selection and subsequent training camp performance made starting fullback Johnny Davis expendable , and he was traded to San Francisco for James Owens . With their middle - round picks traded away , West Texas A & M cornerback John Holt became the Buccaneers ' last selection of the first day of the draft . When McKay saw cornerbacks Holt and Johnny Ray Smith return punts , he immediately cut original Buccaneer Danny Reece , who had handled nearly every punt return in the team ' s first five years . Reece , who had set a league record by calling for fair catches only twice in the previous two seasons , had fallen out of favor due to several fumbles during the previous season , and never had the speed expected of a return man . Smith did make the team , but was immediately placed on injured reserve . Eighth - round pick Denver Johnson left camp unexpectedly shortly before the first preseason game , despite strong prospects of making the squad . It was later revealed that he had been accepted to law school , and chose that over a football career . Preseason . Tailback having been a problem spot the previous season , the Buccaneers attempted to accommodate Ricky Bell ' s desire to play in California , but were unable to work out a trade . The contract of Jerry Eckwood , who had received much criticism for fumbling at key moments the previous season , was renegotiated in accordance with his 1979 production , rather than his 1980 production . His agent ' s statement that " he will either play and do well , or he ' s not gonna be here " was interpreted to mean that Eckwood would be paid too highly to remain as a backup , but would not feel underpaid should a Bell trade place him in a starting role . The decline in Bell ' s performance was such that Eckwood moved ahead of him on the depth chart . The existence of the muscle disease that would soon lead to Bell ' s retirement and death was not yet known . Bell cited McKay ' s criticism as a reason for requesting a trade , but smoothed over differences in a meeting with McKay . Defensive line became an area for concern during preseason , as Reggie Lewis and two rookies walked out of camp . This was the second year in a row that the highly - regarded Lewis left camp , but this time he sent word of his retirement through his agent . Extra security had to be assigned to Neal Colzie during camp , as his life was being threatened by anonymous phone calls believed to be related to the gangland - style slaying of his two stepsisters in Atlanta . Injuries quickly became a challenge , as the team lost more players to injuries in their first preseason game than they did during the entire 22 - game ( preseason through playoffs ) 1979 season . The secondary , particularly the safety position , was hit especially hard . Mark Cotney was lost for the season with a knee injury , Curtis Jordan suffered a broken collarbone , and Cedric Brown missed some time with a bruised shoulder . Cotney was expected to have lost his starting role to Colzie , but was valued as a backup . Jordan was lost to the team when , upon being activated from injured reserve later in the season , he was claimed off of procedural waivers by the Washington Redskins . An injury to Dave Reavis during the same game required arthroscopic surgery that left him sidelined into the regular season , and left the team with only two offensive tackles . As the team had opened training camp with a small roster , McKay had to trade draft picks to the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams to augment the roster with safeties Zac Henderson and Jeff Delaney , and tackle Rick Dozier . Ray Snell was also sidelined , for the second consecutive year , with severe headaches which were attributed to high blood pressure . Rick Berns , the 1979 third - round draft pick who was a capable runner but ineffective as a blocker and passer and who had never been able to recover from McKay ' s , was released late in camp . An unexpected shakeup of the receiving corps took place when ex - Steeler Theo Bell and ex - 49er James Owens , both among the NFL ' s leading returners , were brought in with an eye toward improving the special teams . This resulted in the displacement of former FSU star Mike Shumann and original Buccaneer Isaac Hagins , who were promptly released with the hope that they would still have time to catch on with another team . Owens , an Olympic sprinter , came to the team in a late trade , as did Dallas Cowboys starting cornerback Aaron Mitchell , a tough tackler brought in to fill Cotney ' s role in run support . Adjustments were made to the team ' s defensive philosophy , with the secondary moving to a more aggressive style of play intended to cut down on opponents ' success in the short passing game . The secondary also benefited from an improved pass rush , with Hugh Green ' s presence preventing blockers from concentrating their efforts on Lee Roy Selmon . James Wilder emerged as a reliable receiver , leading the team in catches during the preseason . McKay reported being happy with the team ' s preseason performance , saying that they were playing with the intensity and enthusiasm that had been missing the previous year . Regular season . Coach McKay said , " if we had a high bridge here , I ' d jump off it " , after an early loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in which the Buccaneers achieved only 12 yards rushing and the special teams " completely collapsed " . He promised changes , which could mean either personnel changes or scrapping their balanced offense in favor of a passing - dominated attack . The offensive line was unable to block effectively on running plays , with both starting tackles injured . Changes came after week 3 , with Garo Yepremian ' s release resulting in an acrimonious dispute in which Yepremian accused the Buccaneers of lacking organization , compared the move to " taking your car to get the tires changed when the transmission needs fixing " , and said that " they must know what they ' re doing , they ' re in first place " ( a point of ridicule , as the entire division was tied at 1 - 2 ) . McKay in turn accused Yepremian of acting childishly , asking " what is he , 12 or 37 ? " Coaches had soured on Yepremian due to his short kickoffs and low , easily - blocked field goals . Punter Tom Blanchard was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury the same week . The two kickers were replaced by ex - Cardinals and - Lions punter Larry Swider , and kicker Bill Capece , holder of FSU ' s single - season scoring record . There was a measure of irony in both signings , as Swider had at one time been on the Buccaneers ' roster , but was claimed by the Lions off of procedural waivers when the Buccaneers tried to activate him as Dave Green ' s injury replacement during the 1979 season , while it was Yepremian ' s mentorship a decade earlier that had given Capece the encouragement to pursue professional football . After some undisclosed discipline problems , Dave Lewis was replaced by Andy Hawkins , who played well enough to take Lewis ' spot permanently . The coaching began to be criticized after a pair of midseason losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos . Denver players stated that shutting down Jimmie Giles was all it took to stop the Buccaneer offense , while the defense was still vulnerable to a short - yardage , ball - control attack . McKay felt that the team had become an " aerial circus " and that Williams ' performance was being affected by trying to do too much , and so made a decision to establish a running game , taking over playcalling responsibilities on running plays . Having lost 4 of their last 5 games , there was concern that , about to face a Green Bay Packers team on a three - game win streak , the Buccaneers were about to repeat the late - season slides of the last three seasons . After breaking their two - game losing streak by routing the Packers , the Buccaneers demonstrated a newfound ability to continue to stick to and execute their game plan when playing with a deficit . Quarterbacks coach Bill Nelsen correctly predicted that the Buccaneers ' performance against the Packers would cause the Vikings to underestimate the Packers , and thus lose their matchup the following week . Nelsen admonished the team not to miss a chance to take charge of the division , and they responded with an uncharacteristic rebound from a 14 - point deficit against the Saints . A Week 14 last - minute victory over the Atlanta Falcons , combined with upset losses by the Lions and Vikings the same day , left the Buccaneers needing to win only one of their last two games to make the playoffs . They were one of only five teams in Week 15 who were capable of winning a division championship without help from another team . The season ended with a matchup against the Detroit Lions in front of a Pontiac Silverdome - record crowd of 80 , 444 , with the Buccaneers and Lions tied for the division lead at 8 - 7 . A season - ending New York Giants win against the Dallas Cowboys left the Giants at 9 - 7 , guaranteeing that the winner of the Buccaneers - Lions game would win the division ( the Packers were still in contention , but required an improbable set of circumstances that included a Buccaneers - Lions tie ) , while the loser would miss the playoffs entirely . Although the Lions outplayed the Buccaneers in most statistical categories , numerous Buccaneers stepped forward with key plays at crucial moments in the game , resulting in an upset victory . A crowd of over 8 , 000 gathered at team headquarters to greet them on their return from Detroit . The Buccaneers traveled to Dallas for a matchup with the Cowboys , where they suffered an embarrassing 38 - 0 shutout . Game summaries . Week 1 : vs Minnesota Vikings . " September 5 , 1981 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " A Saturday - evening game left the Buccaneers as the first winners of the 1981 season . The Buccaneers scored on a 55 - yard pass from Doug Williams to Kevin House , and a 10 - yard Williams run . The Buccaneers ' rushing attack struggled , although Jerry Eckwood had an apparent 39 - yard touchdown run that was called back due to penalty . Williams was held to 8 completions on 22 attempts for only 108 yards , but was able to lead a 76 - yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter , after the Vikings had closed to within 7 - 6 on a pair of Rick Danmeier field goals . The Vikings answered with a 72 - yard drive of their own that ended in a 4 - yard Steve Dils touchdown pass to Joe Senser . With Tampa Bay holding a 14 - 13 lead , Neal Colzie sealed the victory by returning his second interception of the day 82 yards for a touchdown , preventing the Vikings ' potentially game - winning field goal attempt . McKay later said , " Neal pulled us out of the fire . As I was watching him run it back , I could only think how glad I was we picked him up last year " . Dils passed for 361 yards on 62 attempts , still the most pass attempts against the Buccaneers in a game . The Buccaneers set several team records which still stand , including most passing attempts , completions , and first downs , and Dana Nafziger ' s 6 special teams tackles . Week 2 : at Kansas City Chiefs . " September 13 , 1981 at Arrowhead Stadium , Kansas City , Missouri " A bad snap resulted in punter Tom Blanchard being tackled at the 14 - yard line , setting up the Chiefs ' only touchdown of the day , an 8 - yard Ted McKnight run . The Buccaneers answered with a drive culminating in a 2 - yard James Wilder touchdown run . The game was marked by breakdowns of the Buccaneer special teams . Blanchard kicked an 18 - yard punt after bobbling the snap , and J . T . Smith was allowed to return a punt 62 yards . The defense held the Chiefs to 59 first - half yards , with the score tied 10 - 10 at halftime . The Kansas City offense controlled the ball for 23 of 30 minutes in the second half , sidelining a Buccaneer offense that was able to manage only 12 yards rushing . Buccaneer offensive and defensive collapses were seen to coincide with the departures of tackle Charley Hannah and defensive end Lee Roy Selmon , respectively , both with hamstring injuries . Chiefs coach Marv Levy opted for a conservative offensive strategy , twice settling for field goals when stopped on the 2 - yard line . Nick Lowery ' s four field goals were the most by the Chiefs in a game since 1976 . McKay , speaking of his team ' s performance , said " It will take them a long time to get the smell out of this stadium " . The 2 - 0 start was the Chiefs ' best since their Super Bowl season of 1969 . Week 3 : at Chicago Bears . " September 20 , 1981 at Soldier Field , Chicago , Illinois " The Buccaneers took an early lead on Mike Washington ' s 29 - yard interception return for a touchdown , after which he left the game with a pulled stomach muscle . Ricky Bell chipped a shoulder bone on his only play of the game . A Gary Fencik interception set up a Matt Suhey touchdown run that evened the score at 7 - 7 . The Buccaneers ' special teams broke down for the second week in a row . Jeff Fisher ' s 88 - yard punt return touchdown broke the record for the longest punt return by a Tampa Bay opponent , a record that had been set by J . T . Smith just the previous week . A long Theo Bell punt return was called back for a penalty . The Buccaneers scored again on the first drive of the second half , which ended in a Kevin House touchdown reception . However , the Bears were able to dominate possession of the football for the rest of the game , with Walter Payton moving into fourth - place all - time in NFL rushing yardage . Despite a game plan that Jimmie Giles described as the best he ' d seen against the Bears , the Buccaneers found themselves prone to errors at critical moments . They outperformed the Bears in most major offensive categories , compiling 450 yards of offense . Several players blamed mental errors and the lack of a killer instinct for the failure to put away what they felt to be an inferior team , while others noted that the large number of injuries left the team without enough personnel to do the things they wanted to . The game left all NFC Central teams tied at 1 - 2 . Week 4 : vs St . Louis Cardinals . " September 27 , 1981 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " The Buccaneers played without linebacker Dave Lewis , who was benched for arriving late to a team meeting . New placekicker Bill Capece provided a pair of field goals , the Buccaneers ' only offense through the first three quarters . A tripping penalty on Calvin Favron erased a fourth - quarter Neil O ' Donoghue field goal and forced the Cardinals to punt . The Buccaneers scored the winning points on a James Owens touchdown run on the ensuing possession , and scored again on a Jerry Eckwood run shortly thereafter . Owens appeared to have been wrapped up by Favron on the touchdown run , but was able to break free for the score on what was to date his only carry of the season . James Wilder led Buccaneer rushers with 15 carries for 76 yards , and caught 9 passes for 72 yards . Doug Williams completed 17 of 30 passes for 162 yards . Ottis Anderson led Cardinals running backs with 20 carries for 97 yards , and Jim Hart completed 11 of 18 passes for 91 yards . Week 5 : vs Detroit Lions . " October 4 , 1981 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " In front of the largest crowd to ever attend a regular - season game at Tampa Stadium , the Tampa Bay defense held Billy Sims , in only his second year the Lions ' career leader in 100 - yard games , to only 75 yards rushing while forcing six turnovers . Several other potential interceptions were dropped . The Buccaneers were held to only 49 yards rushing , but Doug Williams compensated by passing for four touchdowns . Williams was dazed by a blow to the head from Lions tackle Doug English , but returned to the game . The Lions ' only touchdown was set up by a botched first - quarter punt attempt . Coming after an Eddie Murray field goal , it produced a 10 - 0 Lions lead that had the crowd cheering when an airplane carrying a " Throw McKay in the Bay " banner flew overhead shortly afterward . Williams then hit Kevin House with two touchdown passes , the second of which was controversial due to replays that showed it inconclusive whether House had both feet in bounds . It was speculated that House was given the benefit of the doubt due to pass interference not having been called on the previous play , when Jimmie Giles was tackled before Williams could even get the pass off . After the concussion , Williams returned to throw touchdown passes to James Wilder and Jim Obradovich . Gordon Jones , Ricky Bell and Lee Roy Selmon all missed the game for the Buccaneers , while Jeff Komlo replaced injured Lions quarterback Gary Danielson . It was believed to be the first Buccaneer game in which neither Selmon played . Week 6 : at Green Bay Packers . " October 11 , 1981 at Lambeau Field , Green Bay , Wisconsin " Newly - acquired Packers receiver John Jefferson fell on his rear end while showing off for the crowd during pregame introductions , a display that inspired the Buccaneer defense . After the Packers took an early 7 - 0 lead on a Gerry Ellis touchdown run , the Buccaneers scored 21 unanswered points . Doug Williams completed 15 of 23 passes for 199 yards , a career - best 65 . 2 % completion percentage . Green Bay attempted a late rally , as George Cumby ' s 68 - yard return of a James Wilder goal - line fumble set up a field goal to bring the score to 21 - 10 . After the Buccaneers were forced to punt on the following possession , the Packers drove all the way to the Tampa Bay 7 - yard line before Scot Brantley intercepted a Lynn Dickey pass to kill the drive . Dickey , under the pressure of a constant pass rush , was also intercepted by Hugh Green , Cecil Johnson , and Neal Colzie . Week 7 : at Oakland Raiders . " October 18 , 1981 at Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum , Oakland , California " The Raiders entered the game having set a postwar NFL record of three consecutive games without scoring . Breakdowns on Tampa Bay special teams helped the Raiders to take a 15 - 0 halftime lead , and eventually to win the game . The Buccaneers could not manage even a first down on offense until Doug Williams ' 77 - yard touchdown pass to Kevin House in the third quarter . They took the lead on a Jimmie Giles touchdown reception and a Bill Capece field goal . After the Raiders answered with a Chris Bahr field goal , Tampa Bay drove to the Raider 14 - yard line , where Ted Hendricks deflected Capece ' s potentially game - winning last - minute field goal attempt . The loss dropped the Buccaneers out of their first - place tie with the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Central . Week 8 : at Philadelphia Eagles . " October 25 , 1981 at Veterans Stadium , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania " The Buccaneers had trouble keeping their footing on a rain - soaked Philadelphia field . Bill Capece missed three field goals , while Neal Colzie ' s slip while covering Charlie Smith set up a Tony Franklin field goal . Wilbert Montgomery suffered a pinched nerve in the first half that was expected to keep him sidelined for a month , but he instead returned in the second half to gain 119 yards on 22 carries . The Buccaneers failed to capitalize on a questionable Philadelphia play - call in the fourth quarter , when the Eagles elected to run on fourth - and - one , despite holding a 13 - 10 lead . Norris Thomas recovered Booker Russell ' s fumble on the ensuing play , and if not for Ron Jaworski ' s tackle , would have run for a touchdown . Doug Williams ' interception two plays later ended any hopes of a comeback . The Eagles finished the game with an NFL - best 7 - 1 record . Week 9 : vs Chicago Bears . " November 1 , 1981 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " The Buccaneers drew inspiration from pregame comments in which Gary Fencik and other Bears players said that the Buccaneers lacked patience and could only win by the big play . The Buccaneers responded by winning on big plays , touchdown passes of 81 yards to Jimmie Giles and 51 yards to Kevin House . Giles scored his touchdown by outrunning safety Doug Plank , the player who had notoriously speared him during a meeting the previous year . It was the longest pass play in Buccaneers history , and is still the longest reception by a Buccaneers tight end . The Buccaneers also scored on two Bill Capece field goals , although he missed two others from short range . A third - quarter interception by Hugh Green was considered to be the key play of the game . Walter Payton became only the fourth running back in the history of the NFL to gain 9 , 000 career rushing yards , the only bright spot for the Bears in a loss that left them with the second - worst record in the NFL . A Minnesota Vikings loss left the Buccaneers tied with the Vikings for first place in the NFC Central . McKay mocked Fencik ' s comments during his postgame press conference , in which he pointed out the " patience " with which various players performed , claimed to have gotten Patience on waivers from Green Bay , and said that " they ' ve got enough problems with their team without coaching our team " . Week 10 : at Minnesota Vikings . " November 8 , 1981 at Metropolitan Stadium , Bloomington , Minnesota " John McKay said , " that might be the poorest game we ' ve ever played " , after the Buccaneers were able to control the ball for only 19½ of the game ' s 60 minutes . A 95 - yard second - quarter drive gave the Vikings a 13 - 0 lead and used up 9 : 04 worth of clock time , while keeping the ball away from the Buccaneer offense and forcing them to stand on the sideline in the freezing wind . The Vikings rushed for 205 yards , led by Ted Brown ' s career - high 129 yards on 31 carries . Week 11 : vs Denver Broncos . " November 15 , 1981 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " The Buccaneers ' only score came on Cedric Brown ' s 80 - yard return of a Steve DeBerg interception , which tied the score at 7 - 7 in the third quarter . Denver responded with an 80 - yard drive , assisted by Norris Thomas ' two personal fouls against Rick Upchurch . The Broncos then went on to score on their next two possessions . DeBerg played in relief of Craig Morton , who left the game with a sprained shoulder in the second quarter . The Broncos were able to efficiently control the ball through short - yardage gains . Their quarterbacks were a combined 20 of 29 for 143 yards passing , while their backs ran 41 times for 153 yards . Jimmie Giles passed Morris Owens to become the leading receiver in Buccaneer history , while the ground game was held under 50 yards for the fourth time in the season . Despite their 5 - 6 record , the Buccaneers held the tiebreaker advantage over the other six teams tied with them for the final wild - card playoff slot . Week 12 : vs Green Bay Packers . " November 22 , 1981 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " Needing a win to maintain their playoff hopes , the Buccaneers broke a two - game losing streak while setting several team records , including most points scored and largest margin of victory . The Packers appeared to be driving for a touchdown after Tampa Bay took an early 3 - 0 lead , but an injury to quarterback David Whitehurst forced the Packers to replace him with the inexperienced Rich Campbell . Shortly thereafter , Cedric Brown caught the first of Campbell ' s four interceptions while scoring a touchdown on an interception return for the second week in a row . The special teams performed well , with John Holt returning a punt 56 yards and Bill Capece kicking three field goals , including a Buccaneer - record 51 - yarder . For the first time ever , Tampa Bay went the entire game without having to punt . Despite a league - worst rushing average , the Buccaneers ran for 212 yards , led by James Owens with 112 . Owens ' 35 - yard touchdown run was the longest Buccaneer touchdown run in Tampa Stadium . The win was attributed to several changes in coaching approach . As the offensive line was performing poorly due to injuries that kept them from maintaining a consistent lineup , McKay simplified the offense by calling the same plays repeatedly . McKay also allowed the team to practice without pads during the week , while instituting defensive changes designed to cut down on opponents ' ability to control the ball through consistent short - yardage gains . He also took more of a hands - on approach to game day , giving a pep talk to the team prior to the game , and taking over the calling of the running plays . Defensive end Bill Kollar suffered a cartilage tear that required season - ending knee surgery , although the possibility remained that he could be back for the playoffs . Week 13 : at New Orleans Saints . " November 29 , 1981 at the Louisiana Superdome , New Orleans , Louisiana " The Saints took an early 14 - 0 lead on a 6 - yard pass from Archie Manning to tight end Larry Hardy and an 8 - yard George Rogers run . A 51 - yard Bill Capece field goal put the Buccaneers on the scoreboard . With a 14 - 3 lead late in the second quarter , Manning saw Hardy beat Mike Washington on a passing play , but Hardy ran an unexpected route , and Washington intercepted the pass . Doug Williams then hit Kevin House with a touchdown pass . A timeout controversy gave the Saints the ball with three seconds left in the first half . Neal Colzie , blinded from an earlier scratch to his eye , missed the coverage on Jeff Groth , who caught Manning ' s last - second pass that would have gone for a touchdown if not for Norris Thomas ' tackle on the 4 - yard line . The Saints would not have a scoring opportunity for the rest of the game . Williams led the Buccaneers 75 yards to take the lead on the opening drive of the second half . Andy Hawkins prevented a first down on a fourth - quarter fake punt , setting up a 51 - yard drive that left the score at 24 - 14 . A later 96 - yard fourth - quarter drive was the Buccaneers ' longest to date . The win put the Buccaneers into a three - way tie for first place in the NFC Central division . Week 14 : vs Atlanta Falcons . " December 6 , 1981 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " The Buccaneers met the Atlanta Falcons as both teams remained in playoff contention with 7 - 6 records . Inspired by news of losses by both of their chief rivals in the division race , the Buccaneers took a 14 - 3 lead on a 1 - yard Jerry Eckwood touchdown and a 38 - yard Jimmie Giles reception . The Falcons took a 16 - 14 lead early in the second half , a half in which the lead alternated several times . Doug Williams completed 19 of 29 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns . One of these , a 71 - yarder on which he caught Kevin House in single coverage against rookie cornerback Bobby Butler , gave the Buccaneers a 24 - 23 lead and put Williams past the 10 , 000 - yard career passing mark . Scott Hutchinson preserved the win by deflecting a Mick Luckhurst field goal attempt in the final seconds . Week 15 : vs San Diego Chargers . " December 13 , 1981 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " Dan Fouts had to pass even more than usual , with running back Chuck Muncie , the league ' s leading scorer , forced out of the game after only three carries . Fouts completed 33 of 49 passes for 351 yards and a touchdown against the Buccaneers ' league - leading secondary . His only touchdown was a 27 - yarder to Eric Sievers , the longest touchdown pass against the Buccaneers all season . He was intercepted twice . The Chargers also scored on runs of 8 - yards by John Cappelletti and 1 - yard by James Brooks , while the Buccaneers scored on a 58 - yard reception by Theo Bell and a Bill Capece field goal . Brooks ' touchdown was set up by a James Owens fumble , the Buccaneers ' first fumble on a running play all season . With the Buccaneers down 21 - 10 in the fourth quarter , James Wilder scored on runs of 8 and 23 yards in the span of 27 seconds . Dave Lewis forced a Cappelletti fumble that gave the Buccaneers an opportunity to score again , but a hit by Glen Edwards caused Jimmie Giles to lose control of a reception , resulting in a Woody Lowe interception that led to Rolf Benirschke ' s game - winning field goal . Edwards also intercepted a last - minute pass by Doug Williams . Capece was criticized harshly when , despite having earlier kicked a 49 - yard field goal , he missed an extra point attempt that provided the margin of victory for the Chargers . Williams completed 22 of 35 passes for 321 yards , raising his season completion percentage above 50 % for the first time in his career . Fouts ' touchdown gave him a league - leading total of 32 on the season . The Chargers had been facing elimination from the playoff race with a loss , but instead found themselves with the opportunity to win the AFC West . Their win also denied the New York Jets a playoff spot . Week 16 : at Detroit Lions . " December 20 , 1981 at the Pontiac Silverdome , Pontiac , Michigan " The Buccaneers won the NFC Central division by defeating the Detroit Lions at their home stadium , where the Lions had only lost two games in the two previous seasons . Doug Williams compared calling plays against the crowd noise to trying to shout above an airplane . Tampa Bay took the lead on the longest passing play in their history , an 84 - yard second - quarter pass from Williams to Kevin House . After the Lions tied the score at 10 , the Buccaneers retook the lead on a Bill Capece field goal 12 seconds into the fourth quarter . Dave Logan scored the winning points 70 seconds later on a fumble - return touchdown following Lee Roy Selmon ' s sack of Lions quarterback Eric Hipple . The Lions closed to 20 - 17 on an 8 - yard pass from Hipple to Leonard Thompson , but the Buccaneers were able to run out the clock when Theo Bell recovered the ensuing onside kick . Two key special teams tackles prevented touchdowns by Lions return man Robbie Martin ; on the second of these , he suffered a cartilage tear that left him unable to finish the game . Cedric Brown recorded two interceptions , the first of which ended a long Lions drive that threatened to give them a 14 - 3 second - quarter lead . The second , caught in the end zone , prevented a potential Lions touchdown . The two interceptions left Brown with a team - record nine for the season . NFC Divisional Playoffs : at Dallas Cowboys . " January 2 , 1982 at Texas Stadium , Irving , Texas " Facing a Dallas defense that had allowed its previous six opponents an average of less than ten points per game , the Buccaneers were in immediate trouble . Doug Williams was sacked on the game ' s very first play . Field position was a problem , with the Buccaneers ' first - half drives starting at an average of the 19 - yard line . Tampa Bay was only able to advance beyond midfield four times during the entire game , and Williams was pressured into mistakes by a constant Dallas pass rush . The ground game was held to only 2 yards in the second half , with James Owens starting at running back in place of the injured Jerry Eckwood . The Dallas front four of Ed " Too Tall " Jones , Harvey Martin , Randy White , and John Dutton dominated the Buccaneers ' offensive line , moving them backwards with 59 yards in sacks and forcing two intentional grounding penalties . They batted down several of Williams ' passes , and Jones caught one of Williams ' four interceptions . Tom Landry said that it was the best performance by a Dallas front four since their Super Bowl XII victory over Denver in 1978 , and credited their intensity for the difference . Interceptions by Jones and Michael Downs set up two third - quarter touchdowns , helping the Cowboys to match their largest - ever margin of victory . Dallas committed no turnovers , and all tipped passes wound up in the hands of Cowboys players . It was the last time that an NFL playoff team had been shut out since the Buccaneers ' NFC Championship loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the 1979 postseason . McKay had few comments after the game , telling the press , " I want to get the hell out of here " . Awards and records . Postseason honors . Jimmie Giles , Pro Bowl starter , United Press International second - team All - Star Lee Roy Selmon , Pro Bowl starter , Pro Bowl co - MVP ( with Kellen Winslow ) Hugh Green , Pro Bowl first alternate Greg Roberts , United Press International second - team All - Star Hugh Green placed third ( behind Lawrence Taylor and Ronnie Lott ) in the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year voting . Records . Several individual and team records set in 1981 are still standing as of 2009 : Several other records established in 1981 have since been broken :