2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season The 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise ' s 34th season as a franchise in the NFL . The Buccaneers looked to improve on their 9 – 7 record from their 2008 season and 3rd place finish in the NFC South but failed to do so as they finished the season at 3 – 13 , missing the playoffs for the second straight year . The Buccaneers played seven of their home games at Raymond James Stadium . One of their home games was played at Wembley Stadium , as part of the International Series , in which they lost to the New England Patriots 35 – 7 . The Buccaneers unveiled a Ring of Honor to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 1979 franchise . Lee Roy Selmon was the first inductee when the team wore throwback uniforms on November 8 against Green Bay that they won 38 – 28 . Off - season . Coaching change . On January 16 , 2009 , less than three weeks after the 2008 regular season concluded , head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen were fired . The following day , Raheem Morris , recently promoted from defensive backs coach to defensive coordinator , was instead elevated to head coach , with Mark Dominik named general manager . The remainder of the coaching staff was finalized by mid - February . Game summaries . Week 1 : vs . Dallas Cowboys . The first regular season game for head coach Raheem Morris saw the Buccaneers fall to the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 34 – 21 . Running back " Cadillac " Williams returned as a starter , and rushed for 97 yards and one touchdown . Quarterback Byron Leftwich threw for 276 yards , one touchdown , and no interceptions . The Buccaneer defense , however , gave up three big plays in the loss . Dallas quarterback Tony Romo threw for a career - best 353 yards . Three long touchdown passes ( 66 , 80 , 44 yards respectively ) put the game out of reach . Early in the fourth quarter , Tampa Bay closed the deficit to 20 – 14 , but Romo ' s 80 - yard catch & run to Patrick Crayton put the Cowboys ahead for good . On specials teams , kicker Mike Nugent had one field goal attempt blocked , and shanked another . Week 2 : at Buffalo Bills . The Buccaneers made their first regular season trip in franchise history to Ralph Wilson Stadium to meet the Bills . The Buccaneers had played only one time at Buffalo , a preseason game in 1977 . Byron Leftwich threw for 296 yards and three touchdowns , but the Bills held Tampa Bay to only 57 yards rushing , and the Buccaneers had 13 penalties for 112 yard in the loss . Leading 20 – 7 with less than a minute remaining in the first half , Buffalo looked to score once more . However , Fred Jackson fumbled at the Tampa Bay 16 , and Sabby Piscitelli recovered . Piscitelli ran 72 yards to the Buffalo 8 , and after a touchdown on the next play , Tampa Bay trimmed the deficit to 20 – 14 . Late in the fourth quarter , Leftwich led the Buccaneers on 14 - play scoring drive , twice converting on 4th down . The touchdown could have brought the Buccaners within 8 points , but a failed two - point conversion ultimately foiled the comeback . Tampa Bay dropped to 0 – 2 , and lost their sixth consecutive game , dating back to 2008 . Week 3 : vs . New York Giants . Still looking for their first win of the season , the Buccaneers went home for a Week 3 duel with the New York Giants . Tampa Bay would trail early in the first quarter with Giants running back Brandon Jacobs getting a 6 - yard touchdown run . The Buccaneers ' deficit would climb in the second quarter with quarterback Eli Manning ' s 4 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Steve Smith . New York continued its dominance in the third quarter with kicker Lawrence Tynes nailing a 26 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Giants would close out the game with Manning ' s 18 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Sinorice Moss . With the loss , the Buccaneers fell to 0 – 3 . Week 4 : at Washington Redskins . Following their shutout home loss to the Giants , the Buccaneers flew to FedEx Field for a Week 4 duel with the Washington Redskins . Due to Byron Leftwich ' s poor performance during the first three weeks of the season , quarterback Josh Johnson would get his first career start . Tampa Bay would come out firing in the first quarter with Johnson ' s 8 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Antonio Bryant , followed by kicker Mike Nugent ' s 37 - yard field goal in the second quarter . However , the Redskins came back with a vengeance in the third quarter . Kicker Shaun Suisham would get a 42 - yard field goal , followed by quarterback Jason Campbell ' s 17 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Chris Cooley ( with a blocked PAT ) and a 59 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Santana Moss . The Bucs tried to rally in the fourth quarter as Nugent nailed a 22 - yard field goal , but Washington ' s defense would prevent any further progress . With the loss , the Buccaneers fell to 0 – 4 . Week 5 : at Philadelphia Eagles . Hoping for their first win of the season , the Buccaneers flew to Lincoln Financial Field for a Week 5 duel with the Philadelphia Eagles . Tampa Bay would immediately trail in the first quarter as Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb hooked up with wide receiver Jeremy Maclin on a 51 - yard touchdown pass . Philadelphia would increase their lead in the second quarter with McNabb completing a 20 - yard touchdown pass to fullback Leonard Weaver . The Buccaneers would get on the board with quarterback Josh Johnson ' s 9 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Kellen Winslow , but the Eagles would close out the first half with McNabb finding Maclin again on a 40 - yard touchdown 40 - yard touchdown pass . In the third quarter , Philadelphia would increase their lead with running back Brian Westbrook getting a 7 - yard touchdown run . The Eagles would then start off the fourth quarter with kicker David Akers nailing a 44 - yard field goal . Tampa Bay tried to rally as Johnson connected with Winslow again on a 9 - yard touchdown pass , but Philadelphia closed out the game with defensive end Darren Howard tackling running back Carnell " Cadillac " Williams in his endzone for a safety . With the loss , the Buccaneers fell to 0 – 5 . Week 6 : vs . Carolina Panthers . Still trying to acquire their first win of the season , the Buccaneers went home for a Week 6 NFC South duel with the Carolina Panthers . Tampa Bay sailed off to a good start in the first quarter with a 20 - yard touchdown run from running back Carnell " Cadillac " Williams . However , the Panthers would tie the game in the second quarter with running back DeAngelo Williams getting a 20 - yard touchdown run . During the second quarter , punt returner Clifton Smith left the game due to a concussion caused by Panthers cornerback Dante Wesley ramming into Smith . Wesley was flagged for unnecessary roughness and was ejected . Carolina would take the lead in the third quarter with quarterback Jake Delhomme completing a 1 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Jeff King and running back Jonathan Stewart getting a 26 - yard touchdown , yet the Buccaneers immediately got themselves back into the game as rookie wide receiver Sammie Stroughter returned the kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown . In the fourth quarter , Tampa Bay tied the game with safety Tanard Jackson ' s 26 - yard interception return for a touchdown . However , the Panthers delivered the final blow with Williams ' 1 - yard touchdown run . With the loss , the Buccaneers fell to 0 – 6 . Week 7 : vs . New England Patriots . Still on the hunt for their first win of the season , the Buccaneers flew to Wembley Stadium for Week 7 ' s NFL International game with the New England Patriots . For this game , Tampa Bay was listed as the home team . The Buccaneers would trail early in the first quarter as Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather returned an interception 39 yards for a touchdown , followed by quarterback Tom Brady finding wide receiver Wes Welker on a 14 - yard touchdown pass . New England increased their lead in the second quarter as Brady completed a 54 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Sam Aiken , yet Tampa Bay would get onto the board with quarterback Josh Johnson completing a 33 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Antonio Bryant . However , the Patriots took control throughout the second half as Brady hooked up with tight end Benjamin Watson on a 35 - yard touchdown pass , while running back Laurence Maroney got himself a 1 - yard touchdown run . With the loss , the Buccaneers went into their bye week at 0 – 7 . Week 9 : vs . Green Bay Packers . Coming off their bye week , the Buccaneers went home , donned their throwback uniforms , and played a Week 9 duel with the Green Bay Packers . This game would be the first career start for rookie quarterback Josh Freeman . Tampa Bay would trail early in the first quarter as Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed a 74 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver James Jones . The Buccaneers would get on the board with Freeman finding running back Derrick Ward on a 6 - yard touchdown pass , but Green Bay answered with running back Ryan Grant getting a 2 - yard touchdown run . In the second quarter , Tampa Bay fired back as cornerback Ronde Barber returned a blocked punt 31 yards for a touchdown , but the Packers replied with Rodgers hooking up with wide receiver Donald Driver on a 32 - yad touchdown pass . The Buccaneers would close out the half with kicker Connor Barth booting a 38 - yard field goal . After a scoreless third quarter , Green Bay would strike again in the fourth quarter as Rodgers got a 12 - yard touchdown run . Afterwards , Tampa Bay took the lead as Freeman completed a pair of 7 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Kellen Winslow ( with a failed two - point conversion ) and rookie wide receiver Sammie Stroughter ( with a successful two - point conversion pass to wide receiver Michael Clayton ) . The Packers tried to get a comeback , yet safety Tanard Jackson came through with a 35 - yard interception return from a touchdown . With the win , the Buccaneers improved to 1 – 7 . Week 10 : at Miami Dolphins . Coming off their home win over the Packers , the Buccaneers flew to Land Shark Stadium for a Week 10 interconference duel with their in - state rival , the Miami Dolphins . In the first quarter , Tampa Bay struck first as kicker Connor Barth got a 51 - yard field goal . However , the Dolphins would answer with a 1 - yard touchdown run from running back Ronnie Brown ( with a blocked PAT ) . Miami would add onto their lead in the second quarter with a 49 - yard field goal from kicker Dan Carpenter . The Buccaneers would reply with Barth ' s 50 - yard field goal , but the Dolphins would take a huge lead as quarterback Chad Henne completed a 5 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Kory Sperry , followed by Carpenter getting a 30 - yard field goal . Tampa Bay would get the only score of the third quarter as Barth nailed a 54 - yard field goal . The Buccaneers would creep closer in the fourth quarter as rookie quarterback Josh Freeman completed a 33 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Maurice Stovall , yet Miami continued to have their way as Carpenter booted a 45 - yard field goal . Tampa Bay would take the lead as running back Carnell " Cadillac " Williams got a 1 - yard touchdown run , but the Dolphins got the last laugh as Carpenter made the game - winning 25 - yard field goal . With the tough loss , the Buccaneers fell to 1 – 8 . Week 12 : at Atlanta Falcons . Trying to avoid a 3 game losing streak , the Buccaneers flew to Georgia Dome for an NFC South rivalry match against the Atlanta Falcons . In he first quarter the Bucs trailed early as kicker Jason Elam nailed a 45 - yard field goal , and then with QB Chris Redman making a 22 - yard touchdown pass to RB Jerious Norwood . Then the Bucs replied with QB Josh Freeman making a 42 - yard touchdown pass to WR Antonio Bryant , then kicker Connor Barth made a 39 - yard field goal . In the third quarter the Bucs took the lead when Freeman hooked up with Cadillac Williams on an 8 - yard touchdown pass . Then the Falcons lost the margin when kicker Jason Elam got a 37 - yard field goal . In the final seconds of the fourth quarter the Bucs fell behind when Redman made a 5 - yard touchdown pass to WR Roddy White . With the loss , the Buccaneers fell to 1 – 10 and stay winless on the road after 5 visits . Additionally , the team was officially eliminated from postseason contention . Week 14 : vs . New York Jets . The Jets were without starting quarterback Mark Sanchez , but the Buccaneers were unable to take advantage . The Tampa Bay defense allowed 175 yards rushing , and quarterback Josh Freeman , coming off a five interception game the previous week , struggled to read New York Jets coach Rex Ryan ' s exotic blitzes . Freeman finishing the day with three interceptions and a passer rating of just 12 . 1 , well below his season average of 59 . 8 . Week 15 : at Seattle Seahawks . Coming off their home loss to the Jets , the Bucs flew to Qwest Field for a week 15 duel against the Seattle Seahawks . After a scoreless first quarter , Seattle got on the board first with QB Matt Hasselbeck ' s 29 yard pass to tight end John Carlson . The Bucs got on the board with Connor Barth ' s 28 yard field goal to end the first half . In the third quarter , Tampa Bay took the lead after a 45 yard field goal and a 22 yard touchdown pass by QB Josh Freeman to running back Carnell " Cadillac " Williams , set up by a Tanard Jackson interception . The Buccaneers further extended their lead with a 28 yard pass to running back Derrick Ward , with a successful two point conversion . In the fourth quarter , Barth kicked another field goal for 39 yards . Seattle tried to rally , but Hasselbeck threw an interception ( his fourth ) in the end zone to cornerback Elbert Mack for a touchback . With the win , the Buccaneers improved to 2 – 12 . Not only was it their first road win since November 23 , 2008 , it also marked their first win on the west coast since winning Super Bowl XXXVII in San Diego and their first win in Seattle since 1999 . Week 16 : at New Orleans Saints . The Saints dominated the first quarter and entered halftime riding on a 17 – 3 lead . Tampa Bay scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter , including a 77 - yard kick return by Micheal Spurlock , to tie the game at 17 . As time expired , Garrett Hartley attempted a 37 yard field goal that would have salvaged the game for the Saints , but the kick hooked left . In overtime , Tampa Bay won the coin toss , received the kickoff , and drove down the field to win the game with a field goal , for a final score of 20 – 17 . This was the first time in franchise history that the Bucs defeated the eventual Super Bowl champions .