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  Monday, Dec. 6 9:00pm ET
Bucs force four turnovers, win 5th straight
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Shaun King stared into the bright lights of Monday Night Football and didn't blink.

As he promised, Tampa Bay's rookie quarterback was cool, calm and collected in his first NFL start, leading the Buccaneers to a 24-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in a setting almost too good to be true.

Leroy Hoard, Brian Kelly
Tampa Bay cornerback Brian Kelly upends Vikings running back Leroy Hoard.

King grew up in nearby St. Petersburg, a 25-minute drive from Raymond James Stadium, where 65,741 filled every seat in anticipation of the home-grown talent's coming-out party.

"It was good. This was for the fans and all the people in Tampa," said the rookie, who last year guided Tulane to its first unbeaten season in 67 years. "This was our biggest game in a long time, and it was great to get a win."

The streaking Bucs (8-4) won for the fifth straight time and regained a share of first place in the NFC Central with the Detroit Lions, who travel to Tampa Bay next Sunday.

The Vikings (7-5) lost for the first time since Jeff George replaced Randall Cunningham at quarterback six weeks ago and dropped a game behind the division co-leaders with Green Bay.

King, a second-round draft pick pressed into duty because of injuries to Trent Dilfer and Eric Zeier, threw second-half touchdown passes to Jacquez Green and Dave Moore to overcome a 14-10 halftime deficit.

George rallied the Vikings from a 10-0 deficit in the second quarter, throwing a 1-yard TD pass to Cris Carter and using a fumble by King to get Minnesota into the end zone on Leroy Hoard's 1-yard run.

Carter caught a touchdown pass for the seventh straight game, tying a Vikings record set last year by Randy Moss. But with Minnesota trailing 24-14, all George could produce was Gary Anderson's 34-yard field goal with 5:50 remaining.

Donnie Abraham returned one of his two a 55-yard interception return for Tampa Bay, which forced four turnovers, including a fourth-quarter fumble on a punt return that set up King's 1-yard TD pass to Moore for a 10-point lead.

George finished 26-of-45 for 271 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He moved the Vikings from his own 30 to the Tampa Bay 25 before the drive stalled with 16 seconds to go.

During the five-game winning Tampa Bay snapped, Minnesota averaged 30 points.

"When a top offense meets a top defense, if you don't do a lot of things right, the defense will win," Minnesota coach Dennis Green said. "That's the kind of game it was."

King was 11-of-19 for 93 yards, two TDs, an interception and a fumble.

"Shaun did a good job of taking what was available," Bucs coach Tony Dungy said. "He's one of the most composed guys on the team. He missed a couple of reads, but he's not going to get rattled."

The Bucs led 7-0 before King got on the field, scoring on Abraham's fourth interception in three games and the second he's returned for a touchdown.

That was just the start of the Vikings' problems against Tampa Bay's defense, which caused 18 turnovers in their last five games after only forcing six in the first seven weeks of the season.

Hoard fumbled on Minnesota's second possession at the Bucs 33, and Anderson's 46-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right after George marched from his 23 to the Tampa Bay 27 the third time the Vikings had the ball.

Abraham's second interception, on a badly underthrown ball intended for Moss in the end zone, stopped another promising drive with the Bucs clinging to the 10-0 lead they took on Martin Grammatica's 20-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

That turned out to be Tampa Bay's last hurrah, though the defense was hardly to blame.

GAME NOTES
Shaun King became the eighth rookie to start a game in his rookie season for Tampa Bay. He's the second to win in his debut, joining Steve Young.
The crowd of 65,741 was a record for the Bucs' two-year-old stadium.

Chris Doleman sacked King, forcing a fumble that John Randle recovered at the Bucs' 22 to set up Minnesota's first touchdown, a 1-yard run by Hoard.

Tampa Bay challenged both plays under the NFL's instant replay rule, arguing that King's arm was moving forward before he was hit and that Hoard was stopped short of the end zone before stretching the ball out over the goal line.

Both appeals were denied, costing the Bucs two timeouts and fueling Minnesota's momentum. Seven minutes later, Tampa Bay's Karl Williams muffed the catch on a punt return and Antonio Banks recovered to set up Carter's TD for a 14-10 halftime lead.

King made his pro debut at Seattle last week, replacing Dilfer after the starter broke his right collarbone. He ended the Bucs' drought of eight quarters without an offensive touchdown against the Seahawks, but couldn't get his team into the end zone against the NFL's 30th-ranked defense until a 29-yard TD pass to Green midway through the third quarter.

"I just got great protection from the offensive line. ... I just threw it up and Jacquez made a great catch," King said. "We tried to smash it in, but we couldn't do it. So, we went to the passing game and he made a great catch."

Tampa Bay rushed for 246 yards in handing the Vikings their only regular season defeat a year ago. But with Warrick Dunn sidelined by a sprained left ankle, Mike Alstott carried the entire load this time, finishing with 95 yards on 23 carries.
 


ALSO SEE
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Tampa Bay Clubhouse


Rookie QB is King of Tampa Bay

Bucs RB Dunn doesn't play against Vikings

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AUDIO/VIDEO
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 Shaun King is happy about his performance.
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 Hardy Nickerson knows the Bucs are playing well.
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