By FRED GOODALL
Asociated Press
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Buccaneers insist their confidence in Nick Folk never wavered.
The
veteran kicker brought in to help Jameis Winston win games missed two
field goals and an extra point, giving the New York Giants a chance to
breathe life into their season Sunday.
But with the clock running
down and the Bucs (2-1) trailing by one point, though, Winston took a
knee twice to position the ball in the center of the field for a 34-yard
field goal that gave the Bucs a 25-23 victory and kept the Giants
winless.
"After he missed that second one, I went to him and told
him: 'You're going to win this game for us,'" Winston said after
answering Eli Manning's second TD pass with an impressive drive that
began at his 25.
"He wasn't down at all, his spirits were up ... and he won it. I never had a doubt."
The
Giants (0-4) lost on a last-second field goal for the second straight
week . They took a 23-22 lead on Rhett Ellison's 2-yard TD reception
with 3:16 remaining.
Manning threw to Odell Beckham Jr., in the
rear of the end zone for a 2-point conversion that was disallowed
because the receiver had stepped out of bounds before making the catch.
"It's tough to lose two games in a row on walk-off field goals," Manning said.
"A
tough one there that came down to the end again," Giants coach Ben
McAdoo said. "We've got a lot of fight in us, but so do a lot of teams
in this league. We have to minimize the mistakes and maximize the
details to give us a chance to win these games."
Winston threw
TDs passes of 6 yards to Mike Evans and 58 yards to rookie O.J. Howard
in building an early 13-0 lead. His 14-yard scoring pass to Cameron
Brate put the Bucs up 22-17 midway through the fourth quarter, setting
the stage for an exciting close.
"The way Jameis was throwing the
ball, I was confident we'd have a chance," Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said
after the third-year pro completed 22 of 38 passes without a turnover
in what amounted to a complete turnaround from the previous week when
Winston tossed three interceptions in a lopsided loss at Minnesota.
"When Jameis plays like (Sunday)," Koetter added, "we're going to be hard to beat."
A
week after scoring his first two touchdowns of the season and being
fined $12,154 for a dog-like TD celebration, Beckham had seven
receptions for 90 yards, including a 42-yarder that led to Manning's
pass to Ellison for New York's short-lived one-point lead.
Manning
finished 30 of 49 for 288 yards and no interceptions. He threw a 4-yard
TD pass to Wayne Gallman in the third quarter and also scored New
York's first rushing TD of the season on a 14-yard scramble.
The
Giants are off to their worst start since 2013, when they started 0-6
before winning seven of 10 down the stretch to finish 7-9.
"It's
surprising," Manning said. "We still have a good team. We're doing some
good things, but we're not making enough plays to win the game. In this
league you have to earn it. It's not easy. We're doing some good things,
but not enough to win a game."
INJURIES
Giants: Beckham
left for the final four plays of New York's first TD drive when he
injured a finger on his right hand attempting to make a catch along the
sideline. He returned on the team's next possession. ... DE Olivier
Vernon left in the first half with an ankle injury and did not return.
... DT Damon Harrison left in the third quarter with a bruised knee, but
returned. ... C Weston Richberg left in the second half with a
concussion. RB Paul Perkins sat out part of the second half with a rib
injury.
Buccaneers: They played without LBs Lavonte David (ankle)
and Kwon Alexander (hamstring), as well as S T.J. Ward. ... S Keith
Tandy left in the second half with a hip injury and did not return.
NOWHERE TO RUN
The
Giants continue to struggle running the ball, finishing with 91 yards
on 28 attempts. Gallman finished with 42 yards and 11 carries. Manning
was team's second-leading rusher with 22 yards on three attempts.
Jacquizz Rodgers led Tampa Bay with 83 yards and 16 attempts, filling in
for Doug Martin, serving the final week of a four-game suspension for
violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancers.
IN THE BOOTH
The
Fox broadcast crew working the game featured twin brothers Ronde and
Tiki Barber, who played their entire NFL careers for the Bucs and
Giants, respectively.
After playing together in college at
Virginia, Ronde spent 16 years for Tampa Bay and Tiki starred for 10
seasons in New York. They were 2-2 in head-to-head meetings as pros.
UP NEXT
Giants: Return home to face the Los Angeles Chargers.
Buccaneers: Remain at home, hosting New England on Thursday night.
___
For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
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