Just about everything went the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' way on Sunday, including one of the most bizarre plays we'll probably see all year.
After scoring to go up 34-14 in the third quarter, the Buccaneers padded their lead by returning a blocked punt for a touchdown. Usually that would be all the highlight consisted of -- and it would be a heck of a highlight in its own right -- but not on Sunday.
J.J. Russell returning a blocked punt for a touchdown was secondary to what was happening down the field by Trey Palmer, who was not alone while waiting to field the ball. Just a few yards away from Palmer, almost as though it was lined up as part of the punt coverage team, was a duck.
CBS camera cut to the duck on the field and nearly missed the blocked punt, but the combo of all that happening in succession made it one of the best moments of an already incredible day for the Bucs.
Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, though, it absolutely did.
Buccaneers radio call of blocked punt with a side of duck is everything we needed it to be
Up in the Buccaneers radio booth was the legendary Gene Deckerhoff, who helped make the moment even better than it already was.
Gene Deckerhoff calls the blocked punt returned for a touchdown ft. "Ducky Irving" pic.twitter.com/xmNzOutlFn
— Bucs Rays Bolts (@BucsRaysBoltsYT) December 29, 2024
Let's absolutely go.
It's a silly moment, but it's one of those things that happens in tandem with something special happening with a team. We see it in baseball all the time where a team rallys its energy around some odd token like a piece of raw sausage where everyone feeds off its cosmic energy in ways that make no sense.
Good luck charms have existed as long as humans have been around, and the rabbit's foot in this scenario could litereally be a lucky duck for the Bucs.
Tampa Bay needs to win next week and have the Falcons to lose one of their last two games to regain control of the NFC South. It's been a season of ups-and-downs, but the Bucs are in prime position to steal back the division at the buzzer and claim a fourth straight title as a result.
A lot of factors will have come into play if that happens, from Baker Mayfield balling out all season to Todd Bowles white-knuckling his defense despite all that has happened, but it will be impossible to not give the duck some cosmic credit as well.
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