TAMPA, Fla. -- The Buccaneers made it five wins in their final seven games with a 34-19 win over the Chicago Bears in the regular-season finale. The win gives Trent Dilfer, pictured, and the Bucs a 6-10 record and a chance to claim fourth place all to itself, depending upon Detroit's result Monday night. Tampa Bay started fast against the Bears with 31 first-half points, a higher total than the Bucs had scored in any game all season.

Trent Dilfer threw two touchdowns and Errict Rhett ran for another to lift the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 34-19 victory over the Chicago Bears.

Dilfer

Dilfer completed 11-of-14 passes for 104 yards for Tampa Bay (6-10). Dilfer had first-half touchdowns to Dave Moore and Courtney Hawkins as the Bucs took a 31-7 halftime lead.

"Despite the 1-8 start, our guys never gave up. They hung in there and kept their confidence," said Bucs' coach Tony Dungy. "None of us are pleased with the season because we wanted to be a playoff team."

Curtis Conway caught nine passes for 120 yards for Chicago (7-9). Conway, who finished the season with 1,049 receiving yards, became the first Bear receiver to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.

"I still ain't got no respect for that team," said Bears' defensive end Alonzo Spellman. "We'll beat them next time. We will pound them twice. That team's awful. They're terrible, they know it and we know it. Today was a fluke. Fluke, can you spell that."

Raymont Harris scored on a one-yard run with 7:20 to go in the first as Chicago took a 7-0 lead.

Dilfer tied it up when he found Moore on a two-yard touchdown pass with 1:19 remaining in the opening quarter. Dilfer hit on all six pass attempts for 48 yards on the nine-play, 63-yard scoring drive.

Williams

Rhett gave Tampa Bay the lead when he went in from the three 95 seconds into the second period. Karl Williams made it 21-7 less than five minutes later by returning a Todd Sauerbrun punt 88 yards for the score. It was the longest punt return in team history.

Dilfer collected his second touchdown of the day when he hooked up with Hawkins on a 15-yard touchdown with 4:32 to go in the second.

Michael Husted then connected on a 50-yard field goal with 22 seconds remaining in the half, to give the Bucs the 31-7 halftime advantage. Husted added a 22-yard field goal in the early minutes of the fourth. Husted set a club record with 25 field goals on the season.

The 31 points at the half and 24 second-quarter points both established Buc team records.

"It was a great win," said Dilfer. "It's even better because it was against the Bears. We wanted to finish strong with a victory. The last seven games of the year, we played better each week. Obviously the big plays were the punt return and the fumble."

Chicago backup quarterback Shane Matthews relieved Dave Krieg with 8:47 remaining and led the Bears to a pair of late touchdowns. Matthews, who completed 13-of-19 passes for 159 yards, hit Bobby Engram on a six-yard scoring pass and then scored himself on a two-yard run.

"We're very disappointed at not winning this game," said Bears coach Dave Wannstedt. "There were a couple of plays that really turned it around. Those two were important to us because we felt like we lost the momentum. We were not able to overcome the field position all day."

The Buccaneers had struggled against NFC Central opponents this season, posting a 1-6 mark entering the game. Since the start of the 1993 season, Tampa Bay is only 8-24 against division rivals.

Chicago finished third in the Central.