The Tampa Bay Buccaneers put in a strong defensive display in the first half to take a six-point lead into the break in their clash against the Washington Redskins.
The Buccaneers were presented with the early chance to put the Redskins under pressure when Robert Griffin III's pass to Niles Paul was intercepted by Danny Lansanah, but the visitors could only put three points on the board through a Patrick Murray field goal.
Tampa Bay extended their lead when Griffin threw his second interception of the day into the hands of Johnathan Banks, who made the pick and ran all the way into the endzone, shaking off a tackle for the 19-yard score.
Murray added his second field goal of the game when Josh McCown moved his side into range after Kai Forbath had missed a 47-yard attempt for the Redskins at the other end.
The Redskins rallied just before the break when Griffin threw a short screen pass to Roy Helu, who ran behind his blockers to find a clear path to the endzone to secure a 30-yard score and get his side on the scoreboard.
Simon Sinclair
