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--> --> Tampa Bay fullback Mike Altott (40) steps into the end zone to score his second touchdown Monday night. AP St. Louis turnovers lead to a win for the Bucs ST. LOUIS (AP) - Once again, an avalanche of turnovers was to blame for a St. Louis Rams' loss. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers capitalized on five Rams giveaways and also blocked a punt in a 24-17 victory Monday night. Mike Alstott ran for two touchdowns, Warrick Dunn's 21-yard run broke a fourth-quarter tie and the Bucs also got away with a dubious fourth-down call in the fourth quarter to revive their playoff hopes. "I feel like our best football is in front of us," Bucs quarterback Brad Johnson said. "We showed that we can play with anybody and beat anybody." The Rams (8-2) had three fumbles and two interceptions, giving them an NFL-leading 32. St. Louis turned the ball over eight times in their other loss, a 34-31 defeat to New Orleans on Oct. 28. That's what the Buccaneers (5-5) were counting on. "We just looked at what was realistic," said linebacker Derrick Brooks, who tipped a pass to set up the final interception. "Realistic is that they score a lot of points but they lead the league in turnovers." The Buccaneers went 90 yards in nine plays on the winning drive, with Dunn skirting the sideline for the score. He appeared top step out of bounds at the 5, but the Rams had used their two instant replay challenges and were unable to contest the play. A big game from defensive tackle Warren Sapp, who has been quiet much of the year, helped the Buccaneers' defense control the Rams. Sapp, who had just three sacks coming into the game, had two, forced a a fumble, and spent much of the game in the St. Louis backfield. "I've had a rough season," Sapp said. "But I had some opportunities tonight and I took advantage of them." Kurt Warner has thrown 11 interceptions the last four games, and the Bucs picked him off twice in the waning minutes. Marshall Faulk also wasn't much of a factor, gaining 66 yards rushing and receiving. The loss knocked the Rams into a tie for the NFC West lead with the surprising 49ers, who play at St. Louis in two weeks. "We just made way too many mistakes today," said Warner, who was 19-for-39 for 291 yards. "It's tough to not go out and do your part." Donnie Abraham intercepted a fourth-and-10 pass with 3:48 to go at the Tampa Bay 34. After a 28-yard punt return by Az-Zahir Hakim had given the Rams life, John Lynch intercepted Warner again with 2:26 left. "We didn't play particularly well all the time," coach Tony Dungy said. "But we forced some turnovers defensively, which is something we wanted to do." Dungy made the finish interesting after deciding against a chip-shot field goal that would have given his team a 10-point lead. Johnson's sneak got a first down on fourth-and-1 from the Rams 10, but three plays later Brian Young intercepted Johnson. "You can't throw an interception in that situation," Dungy said. "Thank goodness for our defense. It got the ball back for us two times." The Rams tied it on a 1-yard pass from Warner to rookie Brandon Manumaleuna and Faulk's 2-point conversion run with 1:41 to go in the third. The Buccaneers led 10-9 at halftime despite being outgained 210-95, holding the Rams to Jeff Wilkins' three field goals. The Rams had three turnovers in the half. "Once again, we shoot ourselves in the foot," Hakim said. "It was all us. Turnovers, mistakes, you can't win like that." Hakim fumbled on a punt return in the first quarter, but it didn't hurt the Rams because Martin Gramatica missed a 25-yard field goal attempt. Wide receiver Isaac Bruce coughed up the ball on a reverse to set up Alstott's 7-yard score for a 7-3 Bucs lead and Sapp sacked Warner and forced a fumble to set up a 36-yard field goal by Gramatica. Alstott's second touchdown run, an 8-yarder with 8:36 to go in the third, made it 17-9. Alstott set a franchise record with his 47th career touchdown, eclipsing James Wilder. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing