With a very young roster that Head Coach Raheem Morris had dubbed "youngry," the 2010 Buccaneers surprised the league by emerging from a 3-13 campaign in 2009 to a 10-6 season that put them on the edge of the playoffs. As the Bucs jumped out to a 3-1 start and then improved to 5-2, Morris nicknamed the season a "Race to 10," figuring that 10 wins would get them in the playoffs. In the end, the Bucs lost a fourth-level tiebreaker for the final Wild Card spot to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers. In his first full campaign as a starter, Josh Freeman had his best professional season, throwing for 3,451 yards and 25 touchdowns against just six interceptions. Two rookies also pumped up the Bucs' offense, as undrafted rookie back LeGarrette Blount ran for 1,007 yards and fourth-round draft pick Mike Williams caught 65 passes for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns. Third-overall pick Gerald McCoy improved the defensive front and 2008 first-rounder Aqib Talib led the league's seventh-ranked pass defense with six interceptions. In Week 15, the Buccaneers appeared to have a go-ahead touchdown in the final two minutes against the Lions but Kellen Winslow II, who caught the scoring pass was called for offensive pass interference and the Bucs settled for a field goal. The Lions tied the game as the fourth quarter expired and then won it, 23-20, in overtime. The Bucs would go on to beat Seattle and New Orleans to complete their Race to 10 but the loss against Detroit doomed them to another playoff-less campaign.
