The bye week is over and Twitter was very excited to get back to Buccaneers football inside Raymond James Stadium.
90 minutes before kickoff the inactive lists rolled in, showing Buccaneers S Dashon Goldson and CB Johnthan Banks returning to action. Scott Smith shared the Bucs inactives and the return of QB Josh McCown.
Taking the ball first, the Bucs got going early on first drive. We hand it off to 620 WDAE for the first drive.
After a solid start, the drive would come to an abrupt end with the game's first turnover.
I don't mind #Bucs taking a shot. Evans was one-on-one with Captain. Just didn't get the ball up in the air high enough to give WR a shot. — Rick Brown (@LedgeronBucs) October 26, 2014
The Vikings would take over from the 15-yard line, eventually getting down to the Bucs' 38, but the Bucs would force a field goal try.
The teams would trade punts, taking us to the end of the first quarter.
Buccaneers begin their first drive of the second quarter at the 20-yard line. The drive would bestalled by penalties, giving it back to the Vikings.
Big plays from Alterruan Verner and Twitter-favorite Gerald McCoy highlighted the Buccaneers stand.
Again, the Bucs would stall, but the defense returned the favor, creating a three-and-out of their own, studded another key stop.
And the theme would continue as the punting units go back and forth in a defensive struggle.
The Bucs' D forced another fourth down and a Vikings punt as the game hits the two minute warning. Back-to-back sacks force the Bucs to punt. Vikings have one more shot with a minute left from their own 34-yard line.
Minnesota would get the ball to start the second half. Big plays from Lavonte David and Jaquies Smith put the Bucs offense back on the field, starting at their eight-yard line.
The Bucs would be forced to punt from their end zone, giving Minnesota great field position. RB Jerick McKinnon runs of 8, 6 and 28 to move ball into Bucs' territory. And the Vikings hit pay dirt.
On the ensuing drive, the Bucs offense would get rolling with three first downs, but ultimately a holding penalty would be too much to overcome, leading to another Buccaneers punt… an another great Buccaneers defensive stand.
Draw but David with the stop. Vikes to punt. Defense does it's job. — Rick Brown (@LedgeronBucs) October 26, 2014
The Bucs would take over near midfield as the third quarter came to a close. Injury news rolled in for the Bucs.
A strong run from Bobby Rainey would push the Bucs into field goal range, leading to the first Tampa Bay points of the game.
With the clock ticking down, the Vikings faced a key third-and-15 and a big call. We'll hand it over to Twitter for reactions and the outcome.
The ruling on the field would stand, giving the Vikings a 28-yard gain and first down. Ultimately, the defense would force another punt with more strong play.
Buccaneers ball at the 20. Let's go to social for the drive:
7:19 left on the clock now and another Viking drive would fall short with a big effort from the Bucs defense.
Tampa Bay took the field with 5:40 left.
A pass interference penalty moved Bucs inside the red zone. Then, a seven-yard completion to Louis Murphy put them inside the 10, but Bucs would fall short of the first down marker, leading to a critical fourth down try.
With a new set of downs, the Buccaneers took a shot at the end zone and the lead.
Minnesota was still alive with two minutes remaining, down by just a field goal. Greg Auman tweeted a solid play-by-play of the final regulation drive.
And it's on to overtime.
The Buccaneers took the first snap, and the game's final snap, from the 17-yard line.
