The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the coin toss in Minnesota and elected to kick the ball to the Vikings. It didn’t take long before Dalvin Cook found himself in the end zone, and the Vikings were ahead 7-0. It clearly looked like a fumble on the play, but after review, the touchdown stood up.
The Bucs drive started as quickly as the Vikings drive, but stalled just outside the Vikings red zone, after Jameis Winston almost got intercepted on a dangerous 3rd-down pass. Cameron Brate caught the pass, but had to come back for the ball and was well short of the first down. Nick Folk came in for a 40-yard field goal to cut the Vikings lead to 7-3.
After each team scored on their first drive, the teams traded punts. The Vikings looked like they would be pinned back at their own 10-yard-line, but a Justin Evans penalty forced the Bucs to punt again, and the Vikings would instead start at their own 25. The Vikings took advantage and Case Keenum continue to look impressive against the Bucs defense, leading his team on a 13-play touchdown drive which ended when he found Jarius Wright from the 3-yard-line. With around 11 minutes to play in the first half, the Vikings led 14-3.
After the Vikings 13-play drive, the last thing the Buccaneers needed was poor field position, but after Bernard Reedy fielded a bouncing kick off, he was only able to return the ball to the 11-yard line. Three plays later Winston was being sacked by an unblocked Everson Griffen, leading to a 3-and-out. After the punt, the Vikings had great field position, and would start at their own 43-yard-line. The Bucs defense came up with a big stop on the drive, and forced the Vikings to punt. The Buccaneers defense was banged up through much of the first half as Robert Ayers, and Vernon Hargreaves were banged up.
The Bucs were driving on their next drive and the offense was looking as good as it had in the first half, but Winston was intercepted by Trey Waynes on and underthrown ball to Desean Jackson.
The Vikings first half onslaught continued as Keenum marched the ball down the field against the Bucs defense, before finding Stefan Diggs for a touchdown to put the Vikings ahead 21-3, a lead they would take into the half against a Buccaneers team that didn’t do anything particularly well in the first half.
In case the first half wasn’t poor enough, the Bucs went 3-and-out to start the second half, giving the Vikings good field position as they looked to stretch the lead. Minnesota began their second half at their own 44-yard-line. The Vikings didn’t take long to take advantage of the field position, and it wasn’t long before Keenum was finding Diggs again, taking advantage of a Bucs defense with 12 players on the field, and going 59 yards for a touchdown, and putting the Bucs behind 28-3 moments into the second half.
The Bucs finally got their offense going on the next drive and Winston was able to find Cam Brate in the end zone with a 15-yard touchdown pass, and the Bucs pulled to within 28-10 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter.
The Bucs could have used a quick stop defensively, but it wasn’t in the cards as Dalvin Cook started getting things going on the ground, including a big carry up the gut that got the Vikings to the Bucs 10, but the Bucs finally stiffened, forcing Minnesota to kick a field goal to make it a three-touchdown lead at 31-10.
The Bucs needed points on their next drive, and aided by a pass interference call drawn by Desean Jackson, before Winston found Jackson for a 25-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 31-17. Jackson made a phenomenal catch on the play, scoring his first touchdown as a Buccaneer.
The Bucs defense stood up on the Vikings next drive and gave the Bucs offense and opportunity to cut the lead to one score after forcing a 3-and-out. After picking up a big first down to Adam Humphries, Winston was intercepted, effectively ending the football game as Andrew Sendejo returned the ball into Bucs territory. The Bucs held the Vikings to three, but that made it a three-score game, all but sealing the deal for the Vikings who led 34-17, late.
The Bucs drove the ball deep into Vikings territory again on the following drive, but Winston threw an ill-advised pass, forcing the ball to Evans, and was intercepted after the ball bounced off Evans’s hands, and into the waiting arms of Harrison Smith.
The Vikings were running the ball and the clock, and the Bucs injuries just continued to mount. On top of T.J. Ward leaving earlier, and McCoy’s ankle flaring up again, Lavonte David got rolled up on and was carted off the field with a leg injury.
The Vikings finished off the Buccaneers not long after, and sent a bruised Buccaneers team packing with a 34-17 loss.