Washington - eff Garcia didn't give Adrian Peterson a chance to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Garcia threw for 255 yards without an interception and scrambled for two first downs on a time-consuming go-ahead field goal drive in the fourth quarter, helping the Bucs defeat the Minnesota Vikings 19-13 on Sunday. Peterson ran for 85 yards on 19 carries through three quarters, but his bid for a fifth consecutive 100-yard game fell short when the Vikings ran just eight plays - none of them runs by the NFL's leading rusher - in the fourth quarter.

Garcia, who completed 23 of 30 passes, was the main reason. He moved the Bucs 69 yards in 13 plays, burning nearly nine minutes off the clock to take a 16-13 lead on Matt Bryant's third field goal of the game.

Minnesota fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, Tampa Bay (7-3) recovered and Bryant added his fourth field goal for a six-point lead with 3:30 to go. The Vikings (5-5) had two opportunities to put together a game-winning drive, but turned the ball over on downs with 2:24 left and lost a fumble on their final possession.

Bryant had field goals of 39, 26, 29 and 26 yards, and B.J. Askew scored the Bucs' lone touchdown on a 1-yard run in the third quarter. Gus Frerotte threw a 3-yard TD pass to Bobby Wade and Ryan Longwell kicked field goals of 43 and 37 yards in the first half for Minnesota.

Peterson was coming off a 192-yard performance against Green Bay and was trying to match the Vikings franchise record for consecutive 100-yard games set by Robert Smith in 2000. He gained 51 yards on six carries, but was not nearly as successful the rest of the day.

The Bucs defense, which embraced the challenge of facing Peterson for the first time, did not allow a 100-yard rusher in the first eight weeks of the season. Kansas City's Jamaal Charles stopped the streak, but Derrick Brooks and Co. were equal to the task of slowing Peterson.

Trailing 13-6, the Bucs took the second half kickoff and drove 80 yards in 11 plays to tie the score on Askew's first career TD. Garcia overcame holding penalties on consecutive plays with a 31-yard completion to Jerramy Stevens on second-and-25 from the Vikings 32.

Frerotte completed 14 of 20 passes for 138 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He was sacked five times.

The Bucs played most of the game without leading rusher Earnest Graham, slowed by knee and ankle injuries. Warrick Dunn gained 53 yards on 20 carries, and with Garcia scrambling for 21 yards on six attempts, Tampa Bay finished with 108 yards on the ground.

It was the first meeting since 2005 between the former NFC Central rivals. The Bucs have won four straight in the series, as well as eight of the nine played in Tampa.



Written By FRED GOODALL

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