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| Other Week 15 Game Recaps | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI at DET | ATL at NYJ | CHI at BAL | CIN at SD | CLE at KC | DAL at NO | GB at PIT | HOU at STL |
| IND at JAX | MIA at TEN | MIN at CAR | NE at BUF | NYG at WAS | OAK at DEN | SF at PHI | TB at SEA |
Week 15 Game Recap: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24, Seattle Seahawks 7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| QB Josh Freeman, Pass: 16 - 26 - 205 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 1 - 0 |
Freeman dealt with a lot of pass rush pressure all day. Early on, as a result, he tossed up a terrible pass that resulted in an interception. He did not have much luck throwing downfield for most of the day, and his two touchdown passes were both short passes to the flat that the running backs then took into the end zone. Freeman did a great job of shrugging off past mistakes and failed drives, and led the team well in that respect. He is still too unpredictable for fantasy purposes, but definitely showing signs of improved decision making and consistency.
| RB Derrick Ward, Rush: 19 - 67 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 1 (1 targets) |
Ward looked sneaky good in a time-share with Cadillac Williams. He was finding holes well, and showed great speed after he was through.
| RB Cadillac Williams, Rush: 12 - 66 - 0, Rec: 1 - 22 - 1 (1 targets) |
Williams actually carried the bell lest often than Derrick Ward, but ended with the same rushing total. Williams runs hard, and did a nice job getting into the end zone on his short reception. No signs of late season wear and tear, though the time-share seemed to help his productivity a little.
| WR Sammie Stroughter, Rec: 4 - 46 - 0 (6 targets) |
Stroughter suffered a broken right foot in the game and has been since been placed on Injured Reserve.
| WR Antonio Bryant, Rec: 3 - 35 - 0 (5 targets) |
Bryant didn't seem to make much of a mark in this game. But he did snag one good clutch grab when not much was going right for the Bucs, and Josh Freeman was throwing a bit wild. Coincidentally or not, Freeman settled down after the catch, and the Bucs started scoring.
| TE Kellen Winslow, Rec: 6 - 93 - 0 (8 targets) |
Winslow was by far the most reliable receiver on the field for the Bucs. On most plays, he was able to add yards after the catch as well.
Seattle Seahawks
| QB Matt Hasselbeck, Pass: 27 - 46 - 256 - 1 TD / 4 INT, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0 |
One of the commentators in the game described Hasselbeck as being "a little off today", which is putting it mildly. For what it's worth: Hasselbeck was playing mistake free football until the Fox commentators had mentioned that Hasselbeck had 0 sacks, hits, or hurries in 18 dropbacks, and the next two plays were a sack and a hurry, which resulted in an interception. He did throw a nice play action pass to John Carlson for a touchdown, but that would be the only highlight of his day. He lost a fumble while attempting to scramble, and really should have tucked the ball in by that point. He was efficient on short passes, but had very little success getting the ball downfield. Even when trying to come back in the late going, Hasselbeck was still only completing short stuff.
| RB Julius Jones, Rush: 12 - 65 - 0, Rec: 2 - 0 - 0 (5 targets) |
Jones started the game, but ended up splitting carries evenly with Justin Forsett. Both backs looked good, and the result is that both will continue to have diminished fantasy value.
| RB Justin Forsett, Rush: 9 - 55 - 0, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (3 targets) |
Forsett split carries evenly with Julius Jones. Both backs looked good, and the result is that both will continue to have diminished fantasy value. Of the two, Forsett is the more reliable receiving option.
| WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Rec: 7 - 73 - 0 (9 targets) |
Houshmandzadeh made nearly all of the Seahawks catches in the opening quarter, and only he and TE John Carlson were reliable targets for Hasselbeck. The lack of other receiving threats meant that the secondary was able to key on Houshmandzadeh, so he never had much room to work with once he caught the ball.
| WR Deion Branch, Rec: 4 - 28 - 0 (10 targets) |
Branch was simply unable to get open consistently. On one of Hasselbeck's interceptions he was the intended target, but slipped and fell before the ball got to him.
| WR Deon Butler, Rec: 3 - 30 - 0 (6 targets) |
With Burleson out, Butler had an opportunity to move up the depth chart, but didn't fare any better that Deion Branch. He never really gained any separation from the defenders, and he was just plain covered on too many plays.
| TE John Carlson, Rec: 7 - 86 - 1 (8 targets) |
Carlson was one of the lone bright spots for the Seahawks on offense. He fought hard for every yard, and dove to make it past the line on his 29 yard touchdown reception. Even when he clearly had no shot at catching the ball, Hasselbeck still gave it a try in the end zone, showing how much faith he has in him (or how little he has in his other receivers).