Quarter by quarter

By LAWRENCE HOLLYFIELD
Published January 8, 2006

FIRST QUARTER

GOOD THROW WOULD HAVE HAD HIM: Clinton Portis' halfback option pass to Santana Moss would have been a touchdown if it had less loft. The lob allowed Dexter Jackson to prevent the score.

PUT YOUR HANDS UP IN THE AIR: Chris Simms' first pass, tipped at the line of scrimmage by tackle Joe Salave'a and caught by linebacker LaVar Arrington, was one of several the Redskins got their hands on.

CASHING IN: Portis needed one play and five seconds to give Washington a lead it did not surrender.

SEE: PLAYOFFS, YOUTH IN THE: Cadillac Williams was cleanly stripped by Marcus Washington, who picked up the ball and returned it 7 yards before fumbling. Simms, possibly in position for a recovery and Bucs first down, was hesitant going after the loose ball, and Sean Taylor returned it 51 yards for a two-touchdown lead.

TANTALIZING: Tampa Bay's Torrie Cox popped Antonio Brown on a punt return, and after the ensuing scramble for the loose ball, field judge Eddy Powers signaled the Bucs had recovered. It quickly was corrected. Three plays later, Simeon Rice was in the end zone with the football, but the play was ruled an incompletion.

UNABATED TO THE END ZONE: Arrington jumped so far offside, he looked like he was trying to line up as a blocking back for Tampa Bay.

SECOND QUARTER

STANDING TALL: Two plays later, Simms delivered a perfect pass to Joey Galloway, gaining 14 yards and a first down, despite being hammered by Cornelius Griffin.

WHO HAD HIM? AND HIM? AND HIM? Washington sacked Simms for a loss of 13 on a play in which three of the four rushers beat their blockers (only Kenyatta Walker held up in the onslaught). The promising drive ended with a field goal.

THEY HAD THE ANSWER: Any momentum Tampa Bay had by getting on the board was washed away by the Redskins' ensuing drive, a 10-play, 40-yard effort capped by a 47-yard field goal.

STREAKY: Tampa Bay, trying to close the gap before halftime, gained 47 yards on its first seven plays. From second and 2 at the Redskins 42, however, Simms threw incomplete and was sacked.

DINKING AND DOINKING: Simms completed his first eight passes of the quarter and finished the half 16-of-19 but was held to 102 yards because he had problems finding time and receivers to throw vertically.

THIRD QUARTER

BE LIKE MIKE: What a fantastic role player Michael Pittman became for the Bucs. He brought a spark to the kickoff return game and delivered a key first down on the scoring drive, a 22-yard catch on third and 5.

BE LIKE MIKE, PART II: Mike Alstott barreled over strong safety Ryan Clark during his 8-yard run but was left pounding the turf in frustration because with one more stride he would have made it to the end zone.

IT'S A LONGHORNS THING: Chris Simms capped the drive with a 2-yard run on a bootleg to the left. It counted as six points like Vince Young's runs in the Rose Bowl, but it had a tad less panache.

ANOTHER "ALMOST": Derrick Brooks forced a fumble that Brunell recovered just before Juran Bolden could.

SO MAD HE COULD - GET EJECTED: Redskins free safety Sean Taylor not only gave the Bucs a first down with a personal foul after the Bucs failed on third down, he was ejected for spitting at Pittman. The Bucs, however, wasted the gift and punted four plays later.

FOURTH QUARTER

CAN YOU HAVE A GREAT 3-YARD RUN? Cadillac Williams was held to 49 yards but would not have been near that if he had not broken so many tackles in the backfield. One play after Jones' muff, he turned a loss of 4 into a gain of 3.

NOT THIS TIME: Mike Alstott, a short-yardage star against the Redskins on Nov. 13, was stopped on third and 1 from the 19.

A DAGGER: The Bucs called a short pass on fourth and 1. But the Redskins anticipated well, and their intense pressure and coverage forced an incomplete pass.

FINALLY, A TURNOVER: After a three-and-out by each team, the Bucs defense delivered with an interception by Brian Kelly. Tampa Bay took over needing 35 yards to tie the score.

TOUCHDOWN? NOPE. THIS TIME? SORRY: Edell Shepherd's apparent touchdown quickly was ruled incomplete on the field, and it withstood a replay. On the next play, fourth and 10, Shepherd ran a similar route and was open. But Chris Simms' pass sailed out of reach.

WAIT 'TIL NEXT YEAR: Cornelius Griffin snuffed the Bucs' final drive by tipping a Simms pass at the line of scrimmage. Marcus Washington intercepted, and Tampa Bay's surprising division title season came to an end.

[Last modified January 8, 2006, 00:45:14]