After falling just short of the Super Bowl in 1999, the Buccaneers came out firing on all cylinders to start the next season, beating the Patriots, Bears and Lions by a combined score of 93-26. That was followed in short order by a four-game losing streak, but the Bucs rebounded to win seven of their last nine to finish 10-6 and earn another playoff berth. Even so, the season ended with a huge missed opportunity, as Martin Gramatica just missed a 40-yard field goal try with nine seconds left in the season finale at Green Bay, leading to a 17-14 loss in overtime. The Bucs would have clinched the division and a first-round bye with a win at Lambeau Field but instead went to Philadelphia as a Wild Card team. Shaun King got a chance to start after his impressive work as a rookie in 1999 but the Bucs' unbalanced attack – over 2,000 rushing yards led by Warrick Dunn's 1,133 but the leagues' 26th-ranked passing game – contributed to some narrow defeats along the way. The Bucs had tried to inflate their offense to match one of the league's best defenses by trading two first-round picks to the Jets for wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who had 71 catches for 874 yards and eight touchdowns, but it wasn't enough. A wild and memorable Monday Night Football showdown with the Rams in Week 16, won by the home team 38-35, put the Bucs back in the playoffs but their postseason run ended abruptly with a 21-3 loss at Veterans Stadium.
