Bucs defense topples Raiders

SAN DIEGO -- Just defense, baby!\nThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't need much more -- for most of the game, anyway.\nCoach Jon Gruden and his Bucs won the Super Bowl on Sunday, routing Oakland 48-21 in the first matchup of the NFL's best offense against its best defense.\nThe Tampa Bay defense won by a mile, shutting down the Raiders for three quarters and holding on as they made a belated comeback attempt.\nSuper Bowl MVP Dexter Jackson had two interceptions, as did Dwight Smith, who returned both of his picks for touchdowns, including a 50-yarder to finish off the scoring with 2 seconds left in the game. Derrick Brooks also returned an interception for a touchdown.\nSimeon Rice had two of the Bucs' five sacks as Tampa romped to a 20-3 halftime lead then scored two quick third-quarter touchdowns.\nThat rendered futile a late comeback by the Raiders that included a touchdown on a blocked punt and 48-yard TD pass from league MVP Rich Gannon to Jerry Rice.\nThe Tampa Bay offense did its part, too, led by Michael Pittman, who ran for 124 yards on 29 carries.\nMike Alstott had a 2-yard TD run and Brad Johnson added two TD passes to Keenan McCardell, the second an 11-yarder after an 89-yard drive that ate up almost eight minutes of the third quarter.\nJust 43 seconds later, Smith grabbed the ball away from Jerry Rice and took it to the end zone to make it 34-3.\nOakland owner Al Davis' slogan "Just win, baby!" wasn't going to work this time.\nHow good was the Tampa Bay defense?\nOakland had just 62 total yards in the first half, second-lowest total in Super Bowl history. And the five interceptions of Gannon were the most he had in any game this season. He finished 24-of-44 for 272 yards and two touchdowns.\nCredit the win also to the 39-year-old Gruden, who left Oakland a year ago for Tampa Bay in what seemed at the time far too much in draft picks and cash -- $8 million to be exact.\nBut Gruden's knowledge of his old team worked out perfectly.\n"Every play they've run, we've run in practice," Tampa Bay safety John Lynch said.\nTampa Bay started badly but soon took control and led 20-3 at halftime on a 2-yard touchdown run by Alstott and a 5-yard TD pass to McCardell. The defense held the Raiders' top-ranked offense to just three first downs at intermission.\nBut the Raiders struck the first blow.\nOn the opening series, Johnson was hit by Regan Upshaw as he threw toward an open McCardell, and Charles Woodson intercepted to give the Raiders the ball at the Tampa Bay 28. But Oakland got only one first down and had to settle for Sebastian Janikowski's 40-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead.\nThe Bucs came right back to tie it on Martin Gramatica's 31-yarder. It was set up by two 23-yard plays, a pass from Johnson to Joe Jurevicius and a sweep by Pittman.\nJackson's first interception for Tampa Bay set up the next score: Gramatica's 43-yard field goal early in the second quarter to give the Bucs a 6-3 lead.\nJackson got another interception on the Raiders' next possession, returning it 23 yards to the Raiders 45. Tampa Bay couldn't move and Tom Tupa had to punt.\nBut the Tampa Bay defense held the Raiders to three downs and out, and the Bucs finally broke through to take a 13-3 lead.\nFirst Karl Williams returned Shane Lechler's punt 25 yards to the Oakland 27, then Pittman had runs of 6 and 21 yards to give Tampa Bay a first down at the 2. On the second play, Alstott went in for the game's first TD with 6:24 left in the half.\nThe Bucs made it 20-3 at halftime on a 77-yard, 10-play drive, which was aided by three Oakland penalties and capped by a quick out to McCardell on first down from the 5.