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Bucs hope to take momentum into playoffs

Dec 30, 2007 - 11:25 AM Carolina (6-9) at Tampa Bay (9-6) 1:00 pm EST

TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to avoid taking a two-game losing streak into the playoffs when they host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in their final regular season contest.

After clinching the NFC South two weeks ago, the Buccaneers rested many of their starters last week and suffered a 21-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Tampa Bay missed a chance to tie when a two-point conversion failed in the final two minutes.

Jeff Garcia, who returned two weeks ago after missing a pair of games will a lower back injury, passed for 196 yards and a touchdown in less than a half.

Tampa Bay's loss, coupled with Seattle's 27-6 victory over Baltimore, locked the Buccaneers into the fifth seed in the NFC. They will host the New York Giants in the first round of the playoffs.

The Buccaneers are the fifth straight team in the NFC South to go from last place the previous season to first place the next year.

Rookie Matt Moore will make his third straight start for the Panthers, who put up a good fight before falling to the Dallas Cowboys, 20-13, last week.

Moore, who has split his first two outings, is Carolina's fourth quarterback this season, joining Jake Delhomme, David Carr and 44-year-old Vinny Testaverde.

The Buccaneers will be looking to complete a season sweep, having beaten the Panthers, 20-7, in Charlotte on September 30.