Thursday Matchup: Buccaneers at Vikings Buccaneers (2-4) at Vikings (5-2) Line: Vikings by 7 While the scoreboard at the end of last week's game showed yet another loss, the Buccaneers nearly came back from a 21-7 halftime deficitto beat the Saints, with the offense gaining plenty of yards but failing to deliver the necessary points. Josh Freeman threw for 420 yards, and if a pass to Mike Williams in the back of the end zone had not been erased by a penalty, Tampa Bay might have been a promising 3-3 rather than a disappointing 2-4. Freeman still does not seem to be the same player who had a breakout season in 2010, but his 91.2 quarterback rating and 11 touchdown passes show he is not the problem, a label that should be put squarely on the team's secondary. The team has allowed 323 yards passing a game placing them 31st in the N.F.L. Christian Ponder may not be an elite quarterback at this point, but against Tampa Bay's defense, he might look like one.