Mourning his father, Alterraun Verner helps Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat Seattle Seahawks

TAMPA, Fla. -- The heart of the Bucs defense stepping up in a 14-5 win against the Seattle Seahawks was cornerback Alterraun Verner, who played just two days after his father, Robert, died Friday morning of a heart attack while visiting his son for Thanksgiving weekend.

Verner stepped into a larger role as an outside cornerback in the Bucs' nickel defense, and came up with a rare interception of Russell Wilson as Seattle drove in the Bucs' red zone late in the first half.

Bucs players ran off the field to surround Verner on the field, recognizing the enormous emotion of his playing after such a personal loss. His tragedy proved to be a motivating factor for the entire Bucs roster.

"It was a blessing from God," fellow cornerback Josh Robinson said. "To see him get rewarded for his heart and dedication to his game, we knew he was hurting, so to bless him with that gift, we're grateful for him and the way he played today."

Wilson had thrown only two interceptions all season in 335 pass attempts entering Sunday's game, but the Bucs picked him off twice, with Bradley McDougald intercepting a pass near the end zone in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.

"Guys on defense were showing up all over the field today," McDougald said. "The defense was just rallying to make big plays when we needed them."

The Bucs also forced a fumble from tight end Jimmy Graham inside the red zone, with linebacker Lavonte David forcing the fumble and returning it 53 yards. The Bucs, once worst in the NFL in turnover margin, have been the NFL's best over the last seven games, including a plus-2 margin in Sunday's win.

"Every win you get, you get more confident," said defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who had 1.5 sacks. "We're doing things we weren't doing before, like taking the ball away and not turning it over. We have a pretty good record when we win the turnover margin. We just have to keep working together."

The Bucs have won three straight to get to 6-5 and find themselves just one game behind Atlanta for the NFC South lead, and in the thick of the NFC wild-card chase as well with five games to play.