Buccaneers snap losing skid, keep slim playoff hopes alive

Tampa Bay forced four turnovers in the 19-13 win over the Giants.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hope winning will make questions about Keyshawn Johnson go away.
"We've got a run we know we can make, and it started today," cornerback Ronde Barber said after the Super Bowl champions revived their playoff hopes with a 19-13 victory over the New York Giants on Monday night.
"I hope we can remember this feeling," Barber added. "It has been a long time since we tasted success, and we finally got one."
The Bucs (5-6) snapped a three-game losing streak in their first outing since Johnson was deactivated for the rest of the season because of differences with coach Jon Gruden, who decided the star receiver had become disruptive in the locker room.
Charles Lee, one of the receivers getting more playing time because of Johnson's absence, scored on a 53-yard reception. He finished with five catches for 91 yards -- not bad for a guy who didn't have any this season before Monday night.
"Key is a good guy and we all miss him, but it was an opportunity for me to step up," Lee said. "Coach let me know that they had confidence in me."
Strong showing
Brad Johnson threw for 269 yards and one touchdown. Tampa Bay's defense did its part, too, forcing four turnovers by Kerry Collins and sacking the Giants quarterback three times.
Thomas Jones scored on a 1-yard run and Martin Gramatica finished a long, second-half drive with a 21-yard field goal.
"We didn't make big mistakes, not a lot of penalties on offense, we had a lot of turnovers on defense, which always helps us," Barber said. "We played more fundamental ball. That's the bottom line."
The loss was the third straight, and sixth in eight games, for New York (4-7), which watched its playoff prospects all but disappear with five games remaining.
Still, coach Jim Fassel and his players haven't abandoned hope of salvaging the season.
"We'll keep fighting. We're not out of it yet," said Giants running back Tiki Barber, Ronde's twin brother. "We're not the type of team, the type of players who will quit on a season. We'll keep going forward."
Good defense
Tampa Bay's defense redeemed itself after yielding winning drives the previous three weeks. John Lynch's interception with under four minutes helped ensure the outcome after Frank Walker returned an interception 56 yards for a touchdown to trim New York's deficit to 17-13 with just under 13 minutes to go.
But instead of wilting down the stretch, as they did in falling to New Orleans, Carolina and Green Bay during Tampa Bay's three-game losing streak, the Bucs held on this time. The Giants took an intentional safety with 1:57 to go, then failed to recover an onside kick.
"It felt good to close someone out," Lynch said.
Besides the pass Lynch intercepted, Collins was picked off in the end zone by safety Dwight Smith and also lost two fumbles -- one deep in Tampa Bay territory on the final play of the first half.
Collins completed 18 of 34 passes for 160 yards. Meanwhile, the Bucs played their best run defense in a month, limiting Tiki Barber to 55 yards on 13 carries.
"I thought we kept him in check. No huge runs," Ronde Barber said. "We respect him. We knew we had to stop him."
The Bucs' first victory in a month restored some of the team's swagger.
"We understand where we are right now," said defensive tackle Warren Sapp, who had two of Tampa Bay's three sacks. "We are a 5-6 team going to Jacksonville a week from now, looking for our sixth win. ... There are five balls on the table now, and it's our turn up."