Tony Dungy's offense couldn't get it done Sunday.

"They shut us down in the red zone, held us to field goals and made the big plays when they had to," Bucs coach Tony Dungy said. "Offensively, we just had a couple of crucial turnovers at the wrong time."

Waste not, want not? The Bucs, who could least afford it, gave the adage new meaning. Let us count the ways:

First quarter
Every Buccaneer fan's dream comes true when defensive end Steve White tips a Kurt Warner pass on the first offensive play of the game and intercepts the ball, giving the Bucs had the ball at the Rams' 20. Many pundits figured the Bucs would need a few short-field scoring opportunities to win -- and one with less than 20 seconds gone in the game was almost too much to ask for.

Three plays later, they had first-and-goal at the Rams' 5.

But then the Bucs went backward. Rams defensive end Grant Wistrom stopped Warrick Dunn for a two-yard loss on first down. Then quarterback Shawn King and wide receiver Jacquez Green failed to hook up on second down (King had an opening). Under pressure from St. Louis defensive end Kevin Carter on third down, King threw the ball away. Tampa Bay settled for a 25-yard field goal by Martin Gramatica and a 3-0 lead.

Second quarter
With four minutes left in half, the Bucs get more good field position, starting at the Rams' 45 yard line. Five plays later -- including a solid King-to-Karl Williams pass for a first down on third-and-4 -- the Bucs are at the Rams' 24 with a second-and-1 play.

But Ray Agnew stuffed Mike Alstott for a two-yard loss. On third down, Rams backup linebacker Charlie Clemons got to King on a blitz and forced a fumble. The Bucs recovered, but only after a 12-yard loss forced them out of field-goal range.

Third quarter
The Bucs take the second-half kickoff and mount a sustained drive. King, only 2-for-6 on third down in the first half, hits Green for 32 yards on third-and-8 from the Bucs 43. That, plus a half-the-distance facemask penalty give the Bucs a first down at the St. Louis 12.

But again, Tampa Bay went the safe route -- Alstott between the tackles twice, first for three yards, then for a one-yard gain. When King's underneath pass to Green went for only three yards, the Bucs were forced into another Gramatica field goal. They led 6-5.

Fourth quarter
Brian Kelly intercepts Ram quarterback Kurt Warner and returns the ball to the Rams' 42. But Ram defensive tackle D'Marco Farr sacks King on the first play and the Bucs lost a timeout when Dungy unsuccessfully challenges the call. Two plays later, it was fourth-and-three. King appeared to hit Bert Emanuel for a first down -- but the play was nullified for delay of game. The Bucs decided to punt.

Later in the quarter, Tampa Bay gets the ball at the Rams 49 after a St. Louis punt. But the Rams, putting more and more pressure on King, get to him again -- this time Carter got the sack. Two plays later, Ram rookie Dre' Bly intercepted King.

Still later in the fourth quarter: Now trailing 11-6, Tampa Bay gets one more chance from its own 23 with 4:44 remaining. A pair of Alstott runs moved the ball to the 40 and passes to Dunn and Green moved the ball to the Rams 39 at the two-minute warning.

Two plays later, it's first down at the Rams 22 with 1:25 left. After Wistrom sacked King for a 13-yard loss, the rookie quarterback found Emanuel over the middle for what would have been a 11-yard gain. But after a two-minute consultation, referee Bill Carollo overruled the call, saying the tip of the football had hit the ground.

King, pressured by Wistrom, threw an incompletion on third down and, faced with fourth-and-23 with 41 seconds left, threw a desperation pass out of the end zone.

Not all the blame should fall on King, who had just seven previous starts. The Tampa Bay running game mustered just 77 yards and, forced to throw in obviously throwing situations, King was just 13-for-29 for 126 yards.

"I obviously didn't play well enough for us to win and that's how I judge my play," King said. "If we win, I feel we played well enough to win. If we lose, I feel that I didn't play well enough for us to win."

Said Warren Sapp: "It's a team game."