Conference Championships: Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to face Philadelphia Eagles at Veterans Stadium, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff: Sun January 19, 2003 at 3:08pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.[1][2]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Philadelphia Eagles in the Conference Championships, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For Philadelphia Eagles, the home crowd at Veterans Stadium is asked to be a player; for Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Veterans Stadium with the conference title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Around the league, coaches are watching tape on both staffs for next year's prep. Every Super Bowl-bound team starts the offseason as the team to beat.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus Philadelphia Eagles in the Conference Championships. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Philadelphia Eagles cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 9-7 | L2 |
| New England Patriots | 9-7 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 9-7 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 8-8 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 10-5-1 | W3 |
| Cleveland Browns | 9-7 | W2 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 7-9 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2-14 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Titans | 11-5 | W5 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 10-6 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 6-10 | L2 |
| Houston Texans | 4-12 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland Raiders | 11-5 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 9-7 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8-8 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8-8 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 10-6 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 7-9 | W1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7-9 | W3 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 5-11 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 12-4 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 10-6 | W4 |
| Washington Redskins | 7-9 | W2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5-11 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 12-4 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-10 | W3 |
| Chicago Bears | 4-12 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 3-13 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 12-4 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 9-6-1 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 9-7 | L3 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7-9 | W2 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers None, Philadelphia Eagles None
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 10 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 1017202727 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 710101010 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Eagles | Duce Staley 20 yard rush ( David Akers kick) | 0-7 |
| Buccaneers | Martin Gramatica 48 yard field goal | 3-7 |
| Buccaneers | Mike Alstott 1 yard rush ( Martin Gramatica kick) | 10-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Eagles | David Akers 30 yard field goal | 10-10 |
| Buccaneers | Keyshawn Johnson 9 yard pass from Brad Johnson ( Martin Gramatica kick) | 17-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Buccaneers | Martin Gramatica 27 yard field goal | 20-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Buccaneers | Ronde Barber 92 yard interception return ( Martin Gramatica kick) | 27-10 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 at Veterans Stadium in the Conference Championships. The final scoring play was Buccaneers: Ronde Barber 92 yard interception return ( Martin Gramatica kick). Top line of the day: Brad Johnson: 259 pass yards on 20-of-33, 1 TD, 1 INT. Tampa Bay Buccaneers advance to the Super Bowl.[1][2]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers walked out of Veterans Stadium as the team that survived a Conference Championships Philadelphia Eagles will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 27-10. The final scoring play came from Buccaneers: Ronde Barber 92 yard interception return ( Martin Gramatica kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Tampa Bay Buccaneers are bound for the Super Bowl.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27, Philadelphia Eagles 10. Round: Conference Championships. Attendance: 66713. Q1: 3 scoring plays. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 1 scoring play. Q4: 1 scoring play. Top performers:
- Brad Johnson: 259 pass yards on 20-of-33, 1 TD, 1 INT
- Duce Staley: 58 rush yards on 13 carries
- Joe Jurevicius: 1 catches for 71 yards
Conference Championships, played at Veterans Stadium. Final: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27, Philadelphia Eagles 10, with Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking the result by 17. **First quarter**
- Eagles: Duce Staley 20 yard rush ( David Akers kick)
- Buccaneers: Martin Gramatica 48 yard field goal
- Buccaneers: Mike Alstott 1 yard rush ( Martin Gramatica kick)
Second quarter
- Eagles: David Akers 30 yard field goal
- Buccaneers: Keyshawn Johnson 9 yard pass from Brad Johnson ( Martin Gramatica kick)
Third quarter
- Buccaneers: Martin Gramatica 27 yard field goal
Fourth quarter
- Buccaneers: Ronde Barber 92 yard interception return ( Martin Gramatica kick)
Top performers
- Brad Johnson: 259 pass yards on 20-of-33, 1 TD, 1 INT
- Duce Staley: 58 rush yards on 13 carries
- Joe Jurevicius: 1 catches for 71 yards
| Buccaneers | Eagles | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 15 | 20 |
| Total Yards | 308 | 312 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 20/33 | 26/49 |
| Pass yards | 259 | 243 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 0 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 0 | 11 |
| Net pass yards | 259 | 232 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 32 | 21 |
| Rush yards | 49 | 80 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 0 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 2 |
| Penalties | 3 | 5 |
| Penalty yards | 16 | 45 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAM | |||||
| Brad Johnson | 20/33 | 259 | 1 | 1 | |
| PHI | |||||
| Donovan McNabb | 26/49 | 243 | 0 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAM | ||||
| Mike Alstott | 17 | 25 | 1 | 6 |
| Michael Pittman | 8 | 17 | 0 | 9 |
| Aaron Stecker | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Brad Johnson | 6 | -2 | 0 | 3 |
| PHI | ||||
| Duce Staley | 13 | 58 | 1 | 20 |
| Donovan McNabb | 3 | 17 | 0 | 11 |
| Brian Westbrook | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Dorsey Levens | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAM | ||||
| Joe Jurevicius | 1 | 71 | 0 | 71 |
| Michael Pittman | 5 | 53 | 0 | 31 |
| Ken Dilger | 3 | 41 | 0 | 19 |
| Keyshawn Johnson | 3 | 40 | 1 | 22 |
| Keenan McCardell | 5 | 37 | 0 | 11 |
| Rickey Dudley | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Karl Williams | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Aaron Stecker | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| PHI | ||||
| Antonio Freeman | 5 | 66 | 0 | 23 |
| Chad Lewis | 6 | 65 | 0 | 16 |
| Todd Pinkston | 3 | 51 | 0 | 24 |
| Duce Staley | 6 | 26 | 0 | 12 |
| James Thrash | 4 | 23 | 0 | 11 |
| Brian Westbrook | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Cecil Martin | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
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