New York Giants 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14
The Buccaneers season ended with a thud Sunday as the Giants beat them up physically. Jeff Garcia wilted under a heavy pass rush as he completed 23 of 39 passes for 207 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions. Ernest Graham was busy as he carried the ball 18 times for 63 yards (3.5 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 4 passes for 27 yards (6.8 avg). Michael Pittman only carried the ball 1 time for 5 yards but he also caught 5 passes for 62 yards (12.4 avg). The Giants hurt the Bucs bad by taking Garcia’s favorite target out of the game as Joey Galloway only caught 1 pass for 9 yards. The Bucs finished up with 69 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 39 passes for 202 yards.
The Bucs defense played tough but it just wasn’t enough in the end. Jermaine Phillips and Derrick Brooks led the way for the Bucs defense with 11 tackles apiece. The Giants finished up with 100 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 27 passes for 177 yards.
