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| January 28, 2003 | Tuesday | Ziqa’ad 24, 1423 |
Tampa Bay smother Oakland
SAN DIEGO, Jan 27: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ top-ranked defence defused the Oakland Raiders’ league leading offence to claim a 48-21 win at Super Bowl XXXVII on Sunday.
A relentless defence, that intercepted five passes and returned three for touchdowns, two by Dwight Smith and another from Derrick Brooks, mercilessly tormented Raider quarterback Rich Gannon the entire contest to set up the franchise’s first NFL championship win.
They never allowed the league’s most valuable player a chance to get his high-powered attack in gear until the contest was out of reach.
Even a late game lapse that allowed the Raiders to score three touchdowns and cut the deficit to 34-21 could not detract from one of the most dominating defensive displays ever witnessed at a Super Bowl.
A swarming Bucs defence allowed Oakland just 62 yards in total offence in the opening half — the second lowest ever in the 37-year history of the NFL championship game.
While the MVP award could have gone to any of several defenders, Dexter Jackson, who sparked the Bucs with a pair of first half interceptions that both led to scores, claimed the honour to the cheers from his team mates and thousands of fans spread through Qualcomm Stadium.—Reuters
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