TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – The goal was to put themselves in a position to play relevant games down the stretch, and the surprising Tampa Bay Buccaneers have exceeded expectations by doing exactly what they set out to do.
The NFL’s youngest team kept its playoff hopes alive Sunday with a 38-15 victory over the Seattle Seahawks that sends the Bucs into the final weekend of the regular season at New Orleans with a chance to earn a NFC wild-card berth with a win and some outside help.
“It’s gratifying to win meaningful games in December, gratifying to win games after Christmas,” coach Raheem Morris said after his team remained in the hunt with the Saints, Giants and Packers for a postseason spot.
Few gave Tampa Bay (9-6) much of a shot at being in this position when Morris declared during training camp that this year was a “Race For 10” victories – a number usually good enough to get a team in the playoffs.
“I know you guys thought I was crazy when I said it. … It’s just one of those things. You set a goal for your team, and you talk about what you want to do and what you can do,” Morris said. “And we’re very capable of going out and winning 10 games, and I knew that and we thought that way.”
Josh Freeman threw a career-best five touchdowns and rookie LeGarrette Blount ran for 164 yards for Tampa Bay.
Seattle (6-9) played most of the game without injured quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and lost for the seventh time in nine games.
Amazingly, the Seahawks can still win the NFC West – thus becoming the first team in NFL history to earn a playoff spot with a losing record – by beating first-place St. Louis (7-8) at home next Sunday.
“I don’t know if we all understand it, but it’s ridiculous the opportunity we still have. It’s huge,” said Hasselbeck, who left with a hip injury after helping the Seahawks to a 7-0 lead. “We should be saying, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you,’ because it’s amazing.
“There’s teams that are having pretty good seasons and they are out of the playoffs and don’t get a chance. For us to still have that opportunity, as poorly as we’ve played at times, as poorly as we performed tonight, is a huge opportunity.”
Freeman completed 21 of 26 passes for 237 yards and no interceptions. His five TD passes – giving him 23 vs. just six interceptions this season – tied a franchise record set by Steve DeBerg in 1987 and matched by Brad Johnson in 2002.
“He’s clutch. He’s a closer. He’s a big-time quarterback, and he’s developed into it right in front of our eyes,” Morris said of the second-year pro – the third quarterback selected in the 2009 draft behind Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez. “We get a chance to see it, and it’s beautiful to watch.”
Kellen Winslow and rookie Mike Williams each had a pair of TD receptions for the Bucs, who guaranteed themselves a winning record after going 3-13 a year ago in their first season under Morris.
Meanwhile, Blount’s fourth 100-yard game rushing included highlight-reel bursts of 48 yards in which the 250-pound rookie hurdled would-be tackler Lawyer Milloy and a 53-yarder that set up Tampa Bay’s last touchdown.
With St. Louis (7-8) defeating San Francisco 25-17 to take sole possession of first place in the NFC West earlier Sunday, the Seahawks took the field knowing that a win or a loss against the Bucs would not affect their chances of making the playoffs.
“They know what’s at stake,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “After you look at tonight, you’re going to wonder how that’s going to happen, but we’re going to find a way.
“I’m concerned with what that looked like tonight, yeah. I’m concerned about that. That didn’t look like the kind of play that would have warranted this situation and this opportunity. We need to leave this here in Tampa, get home and put a week together and do something different.”
The Seahawks lost Hasselbeck when the 35-year-old quarterback rolled out of the pocket to his right and scored on a 1-yard TD run in which he went into the end zone untouched with 2:50 remaining in the opening quarter.
The 12th-year pro bent over for a moment, started to walk off the field and then stopped again before sitting down in the end zone. He will have a MRI on Monday, and Carroll said it’s unlikely Hasselbeck will practice this week.
Hasselbeck eventually limped to the sideline under his own power. Charlie Whitehurst replaced him on Seattle’s next possession, with the Seahawks leading 7-3.
Hasselbeck said he’s experienced minor discomfort at times since being hit in the hip by a helmet against San Diego early in the season.
“Today, it just got real tight on me real fast,” Hasselbeck said. “That was disappointing.”
Whitehurst, who was 11 of 18 passing for 66 yards, had little success against a Tampa Bay defense that had not played particularly well the past month.
The Seahawks scored on Leon Washington’s 16-yard run and a 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter, but finished with just 174 yards of total offense.
“We got beat by a pretty good team. It’s really behind us,” Whitehurst said. “We have to look forward to next week. Next week is the one that counts, and it’s already where our focus is.”
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