Week 13 the Buccaneers finally managed to win their first regular-season game (the team had beaten the Atlanta Falcons 17–3 in a 1976 pre-season game), defeating the New Orleans Saints on the road 33–14. The win was highlighted by three interceptions returned for touchdowns, an NFL record at the time. (The team would later equal this feat 25 years later when they defeated the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII.) Saints QB Archie Manning had said that it would be a disgrace to lose to Tampa Bay, and after the game was over the Buccaneers players taunted him by chanting “It’s disgraceful!”. Manning to this day disputes the charge that he said this. Others have noted that McKay may have made the statement up to motivate the team. After being greeted by 8,000 cheering fans when the team arrived back in Tampa late that evening after the game, the Buccaneers followed up the victory with a win at home over the St. Louis Cardinals during the final week of the season. Afterwards, a mob of fans ran onto the field and tore down the goalposts. The 1978 season was another losing campaign, but it was highlighted by the presence of rookie quarterback Doug Williams. Despite a season-ending injury in which his mouth had to be wired shut, he showed enough potential to give Buccaneers fans hope for the future. His leadership and often electrifying play would transform the team much sooner than anyone expected. Injuries led to a 5–11 record, but for the first time the Buccaneers began to resemble a real team. A brief period of success (1979–1982) The Bucs’ situation improved rapidly in 1979. With the maturation of quarterback Doug Williams, the first 1,000-yard rushing season from running back Ricky Bell, and a smothering, league-leading defense led by future NFL Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon, the Bucs kicked off the season with five consecutive victories, a stunning performance that landed them on the cover of Sports Illustrated. With four games left in the season, the Bucs only needed to win one of them to make the playoffs, and did so in their final contest at home against the Kansas City Chiefs, which was played in the worst downpour in Bucs history. Finishing with a 10–6 record, the Bucs had their first winning season, and indeed won the Central Division in a tiebreaker over the Chicago Bears. In