Micheal Spurlock started up the middle, cut to the outside and didn't stop running until making history for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs ran back a kickoff for a touchdown for the first time in the franchise's 32 seasons and routed the reeling Atlanta Falcons 37-3 Sunday to win the NFC South for the second time in three seasons. Ronde Barber returned an interception 29 yards for a TD, and Earnest Graham scored a touchdown rushing in a team-record sixth consecutive game to help Tampa Bay (9-5) improve to 5-0 in the division after going 0-6 against NFC South rivals a year ago. It's the fifth straight season that the team winning the NFC South finished last the previous season.

After missing two games with a back injury, quarterback Jeff Garcia will return to the starting lineup Sunday when the Tampa Bay Bucs host the Atlanta Falcons. Garcia, 37, took all the first-unit snaps in practice on Thursday, and Coach Jon Gruden said the veteran passer was on-target much of the day. "We tried to simulate as much speed as we could," Gruden said, in explaining the process of preparing Garcia to get back into the lineup, "and I thought he looked sharp." Garcia has not had any setbacks this week in recovering from the back injury.

The Buccaneers on Wednesday signed running back Zack Crockett. It marks the second time this season that Crockett has been with Tampa Bay. In Week Seven, the 34-year-old carried once for no gain in a 23-16 loss to the Lions before being released.

Tampa Bay reserve tight end Jerramy Stevens was suspended without pay for one game Tuesday for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. He will miss Sunday's game against Atlanta and was also fined an additional game check. Stevens, who signed with the Buccaneers in April after being released by Seattle, was convicted in September of driving under the influence of alcohol in Scottsdale, Ariz. The charge stemmed from an arrest while the sixth-year pro was a member of the Seahawks. "When we signed Jerramy this spring, we knew there was a possibility that he could face some type of disciplinary action from the NFL for his prior actions," Bucs' General Manager Bruce Allen said in a statement released by the team. "Since he has been with the Buccaneers, Jerramy has been a great teammate and productive player for our team."

For the first time in three weeks, there's definitive word on Jeff Garcia's sore back. The Tampa Bay quarterback is expected to return to the lineup this week after missing two games and most of a third with a lower back bruise that has kept opposing teams guessing about his availability. Coach Jon Gruden said Monday that despite vague statements he made about Garcia's status leading up to games against New Orleans and Houston, he never planned to play him against the Saints or Texans. "I just don't think the opponent needs to know exactly who to prepare for," Gruden said, emphasizing he's confident the 37-year-old now has had adequate time to recover from the injury and will play Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. "I don't believe I should apologize, but I don't feel like we have to divulge everything or let everyone know exactly where it is in terms of the timetable for Jeff. We felt it was a two-week injury. ... We feel we did the right thing, the only thing to let the injury get better."

Tampa Bay quarterback Jeff Garcia was deactivated for Sunday's game at Houston with a bruised back, and Texans' quarterback Matt Schaub was also inactive after dislocating his left shoulder last week. It is the second straight game Garcia has been inactive after being injured early in Tampa Bay's game against Washington Nov. 25. Luke McCown was scheduled to start in his place, and Garcia will be the emergency third quarterback. Sage Rosenfels gets his second start of the season in place of Schaub.

Despite quarterback Jeff Garcia's contention that he is sufficiently recovered from a back injury to return to the lineup, Tampa Bay Coach Jon Gruden remains uncertain about who will start when his team meets the Houston Texans on Sunday in a game that could secure the NFC South title for the Buccaneers. Garcia practiced on a limited basis most of the week and then skipped the Friday walk-through session, muddying the quarterback picture a bit. The expectation of most players is that Garcia, who missed last week's victory at New Orleans, will start. But Gruden has adopted an uncharacteristically cautious stance on his quarterback and insisted he won't make a decision between Garcia and Luke McCown until Sunday morning. "We're going to wait until we get to Houston," Gruden said. "It's a day-to-day operation right now. Jeff is getting better. But we'll wait until Sunday when we get to the stadium."