Corey Dillon lined up in the end zone, took the handoff and ran into the last guy he wanted to see in overtime: John Lynch. With one deft tug, Tampa Bay's safety showed again his knack for deciding games.

        Lynch knocked the ball from Dillon's left arm, then jumped on the fumble at the 3-yard line. Martin Gramatica made a 21-yard field goal for a 16-13 victory in overtime Sunday.

        "It was Corey and I going one-on-one,” said Lynch, who has saved four of the Bucs' wins. “It would be nice to finish someone off earlier, though. I'll take it if that's my role, but this team does tend to take years off your life.”

        The Buccaneers (6-5) nearly let it slip away. They missed two field goals and had a late defensive collapse that let the bumbling Bengals (4-7) rally for 10 points in the final 4:29 of regulation.

        Thanks to Lynch's play, they came away with their first back-to-back wins of the season.

        Lynch had a clinching interception in a 24-17 win over St. Louis on Monday night that revived the Bucs' playoff chances. Earlier in the season, his fourth-quarter interception clinched a win over Dallas. He also batted down a pass in the end zone on the final play to close out a win over Green Bay.

        After the Buccaneers failed on the opening possession of overtime and punted to the 4, Lynch was in the right place again, knocking the ball from Dillon's arm.

        “I saw Lynch and I tried to holler to him, "Get it!' ” defensive end Warren Sapp said. “Get it and let's go home!”

        While players headed to the middle of the field, Dillon stayed on the sideline as teammate Brandon Bennett rubbed the top of his head. Lynch walked over to console him as well.

        Until the closing minutes of regulation, two popgun offenses failed to produce any touchdowns or drama. The Buccaneers' cornerbacks set up most of their points.

        Cornerback Ronde Barber blocked a punt that Todd Yoder returned 11 yards for a second-quarter touchdown, and Donnie Abraham's interception set up Gramatica's 48-yard field goal that made it 13-3 early in the fourth quarter.

        Brad Johnson completed his first 14 passes — one shy of the club record — and finished 26-of-33 for 231 yards, but the Bengals got a season-high six sacks.

        Both offenses self-destructed on a sunny, 51-degree afternoon that favored the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay is 6-34 when the temperature is below 50 degrees.

        Notes: The Buccaneers have intercepted a pass in 15 straight games, a franchise record. ... Abraham's interception was his 29th, tying Cedric Brown for the Bucs' career record.

Buccaneers 16, Bengals 13, OT Bengals Report Card Bengals-Buccaneers statistics DAUGHERTY: We've seen it all before from Bengals SULLIVAN: Dillon grasps accountability McGee out for season Defense consistent, effective Rackers slips out of the noose Lynch rescues Bucs again Jaguars-Packers reunites Brunell, Favre

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