Redskins throttle Buccaneers 16-3

The Redskins' Preston Smith sacks the Buccaneers' Ryan Fitzpatrick during Washington's 16-3 victory Sunday in Tampa, Fla.
The Redskins' Preston Smith sacks the Buccaneers' Ryan Fitzpatrick during Washington's 16-3 victory Sunday in Tampa, Fla.
Washington kicker Dustin Hopkins kicked three field goals and quarterback Alex Smith threw a touchdown pass to lead the visiting Redskins to a 16-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. The Redskins (6-3) won for the fourth time in five games, while Tampa Bay (3-6) lost for the sixth time in seven contests. Smith was an efficient 19 of 27 for 178 yards. His fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Josh Doctson -- the only touchdown of the game -- sealed the victory. Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 29 of 41 pass attempts for 406 yards with two interceptions. The Buccaneers self-destructed, making six trips into the red zone. Chandler Catanzaro missed two field goals. Tampa Bay dominated the offensive stats as it totaled 501 yards compared to Washington's 286. Washington cornerback Josh Norman picked off Fitzpatrick in the end zone on the Buccaneers' first possession. The win was the Redskins' third on the road this year, where Norman said the team feels comfortable and wouldn't mind playing all their games. "I feel like we play better on the road," Norman told 106.7 The Fan. "I'm not gonna lie. Gosh man. It seems like our true fans, they're really with us on the road and we feed off of that. ... We can play all our games on the road if you ask me, but at the end of the day the people who are going to be for you, the fans that are really going to have your back? They'll be there." The Tampa Bay fans got to watch their team implode one time after another beginning with their kicker, who was responsible for the team's only win in the past seven games. After Norman's interception, the Bucs got the ball back and failed to score again. Catanzaro watched a 30-yard field goal attempt sail wide right before connecting on a game-tying 33-yard field goal. Hopkins connected on another 43-yard field to send the Redskins into halftime with a 6-3 lead. The Buccaneers were driving to take the lead early in the third when a bad snap forced another Catanzaro field-goal attempt. His 48-yard attempt was wide right. Smith drove the Redskins 62 yards with Doctson's 6-yard scoring reception culminating the drive. On the next Buccaneers drive, cornerback Greg Stroman cut in front of a Fitzpatrick pass intended for O.J. Howard, intercepting it and returning it 23 yards. "I just read the receiver, seen him out stepping out ready to break in and I just drove one," Stroman said. "I play corner, it's tough. It's the NFL and I play corner so you gotta keep bouncing back. You can't let a play hold you down." The Bucs just couldn't get anything going in the red zone. Even usually reliable Mike Evans dropped a touchdown in the end zone in the fourth quarter. "We're going to keep fighting. I wish we were scoring touchdowns and field goals in the red zone, obviously," Evans said. "We're getting down there fairly easily. I don't know what the recipe is."

Latest Player Notes

How a Wisconsin legend got his German protégé into Badgers pro day

Mar 15, 2024 Marlon Werthmann put his life on hold for the opportunity in front of him Friday at the McClain Center.Werthmann ...

Why former Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen didn't run the 40 at pro day

Mar 15, 2024 Braelon Allen’s sweat covered his shirt and dripped off his beard as he approached a group of reporters Friday.The ...

How can UW recruit its best class ever? It starts with these five prospects

By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter Jedd Fisch has lofty recruiting goals at Washington. He didn’t waste any ...

Texas football kicks off spring practice Tuesday. We answer 24 questions for the 2024 team

Things certainly look fresh for the 2024 college football season, especially on the Texas campus.There’s a new conference ...

College Football Playoff: Conferences solve their differences (for now) and agree on general framework for 2026 and beyond

The FBS conferences and Notre Dame agreed on Friday to continue the College Football Playoff beyond the 2025 season, signing ...

Ball security, leadership key as Aztecs look to identify starting quarterback

San Diego State seemingly auditions a new starting quarterback on an annual basis.In the past 12 years, the Aztecs have opened ...

Results and more: A look at what happened at Penn State football’s Pro Day inside Holuba Hall

Most of those at Penn State’s Pro Day Friday were relatively quiet throughout the afternoon’s workouts, but there was one ...

Defense dominates first two weeks of Oregon State spring practice as Beavers ready for 2-week breather

CORVALLIS – Oregon State hit the break of spring practices Saturday, not exactly the midpoint but a good place to assess ...

Dillon Gabriel to have similar input, autonomy as Bo Nix had in Oregon’s offense

Published Mar. 16, 2024, 6:26 p.m.By James CrepeaEUGENE — Dillon Gabriel will have much of the same autonomy as Bo Nix did ...

Two transfers, one underclassman who impressed in Missouri football's spring game

With that, spring camp’s a wrap.Missouri football held its Black & Gold spring game Saturday in front of a healthy crowd ...
See More Player Notes