Seahawks trail Bucs, drop to bottom of NFC West

TAMPA, Fla. — It wasn't going to be easy, the way the season has started for the Seahawks. Not against a quality defense like that of Tampa Bay, and certainly not when the Buccaneers scored on 47-yard bomb from quarterback Jeff Garcia to wide receiver Antonio Bryant for the game's first points.

The play was a microcosm of the Seahawks' season, struggling cornerback Kelly Jennings stumbling and falling trying to prevent Bryant from getting too much separation as they ran down the field. Bryant, with no one around him to obstruct his view, hauled in the pass and ran into the end zone to give the Bucs the lead with 9:13 left in the first quarter.

The Seahawks have found it more difficult to rebound from such big plays, and Sunday night was more of the same. They lost 20-10 to the Buccaneers in a strange scene at Raymond James Stadium.

With baseball's Rays playing the deciding game of the American League Championship Series against Boston just across Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, the crowd cheered in midgame when informed of a run for the Rays.

Chants of "Let's go Rays!" broke out spontaneously.

Largely oblivious to it all, the Seahawks didn't exactly shine on prime time TV. Jennings' tumble got things off to a bad start. A penalty flag flew and the Seahawks hoped for offensive pass interference, but the flag was picked up.

"I thought he got bumped," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. "They said incidental contact with his feet ... I thought it was a tough call."

Jennings thought he was pushed, too. "It wasn't called, so you've got to keep playing," he said.

The tough calls and the bad breaks are compounding from week to week as the Seahawks continue to struggle.

Consequently, they are now 1-5 and alone in last place in the NFC West. Their streak of four straight division titles and five playoff appearances is in serious jeopardy.

"This is nothing we could imagine," defensive tackle Craig Terrill said. "It's uncharted water for us but it's a good thing we have the group of guys that we have on this team because I think a lot of teams at this point would kind of throw it in and start giving up on the season."

The result was never really in doubt. The Buccaneers (5-2) controlled the game clock, being in possession of the ball for almost 42 minutes to the Seahawks' 18. Any glimmer of hope was just that — a glimmer.

The Seahawks trailed 17-3 in the third quarter and the Bucs defense was dancing on the field to some deep bass on the loudspeakers.

Seconds later, Seahawks running back Maurice Morris burst off the left side for a 45-yard run, the longest play of the night for them. That put the ball at the Tampa Bay 20, and the Seahawks looked poised to cut into the deficit.

Five plays later, kicker Olindo Mare, who'd made his first 11 field-goal tries of the season including one earlier in the quarter, hooked a 38-yard attempt wide left.

"We have to play better football, all the way around," linebacker Leroy Hill said. "It's not rocket science."

The Seahawks' loss dropped them behind even the St. Louis Rams (2-4), who stunned the Dallas Cowboys earlier in the day. The Seahawks blew out the Rams in week 3. Seattle fell three full games out of first place behind Arizona (4-2), which had a bye.

The Buccaneers took a 14-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Earnest Graham with 6:32 to play in the first half. Matt Bryant made two field goals, his last one with 4:34 left in the game after a drive that lasted 9 minutes, 34 seconds.

Seahawks quarterback Seneca Wallace struggled mightily against the Bucs' pressure.

Running the team with starter Matt Hasselbeck out with a back injury, Wallace was harried and hurried and forced to scramble, and made his share of errant throws.

He threw an interception and was part of a botched center exchange with Chris Spencer that led to a fumble in Bucs territory and cost the Seahawks a chance for points.

Wallace tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Carlson with 1:55 left to play in the game off a fake toss and bootleg to his right. It was the rookie Carlson's second touchdown catch in as many weeks.

That salvaged a little pride on what was the Tampa Bay area's night to celebrate with a Buccaneers win, a tribute to former star fullback Mike Alstott and the biggest baseball victory in local history.

"Right now our confidence on offense isn't where it should be," Holmgren said, "and now we have to keep them going somehow, some way, and regain that confidence that we used to have."

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com