The Tampa Bay Buccaneers completed their odyssey from National Football League laughingstock to champion Sunday with a 48-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl 37.

The Buccaneers, playing in the NFL title game for the first time in their 27-year history, used the league's leading defence to stymie Oakland's top-rated offence in the first such match-up in Super Bowl history.

Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon, the NFL Most Valuable Player, was was unable to unleash his arm until the second half.

By then, Brad Johnson and the Buccaneers had found their feet, supplementing their passing attack with an effective running game to lead 20-3 at halftime.

On Tampa Bay's first possession of the third quarter, Johnson engineered a textbook drive, completing five of six passes and running for 10 yards, finally completing an eight-yard touchdown pass to Keenan McCardell. Argentina's Martin Gramatica kicked the extra point to make it 27-3.

The Bucs immediately stretched their lead to 34-3 when Dwight Smith intercepted Gannon's pass intended for Rice and ran 44 yards for a touchdown.

But Oakland weren't done. The Raiders scored their first touchdown in the third quarter as Gannon finally found some room to make some plays. Future Hall of Famer Jerry Rice made his first reception of the game in the 82-yard drive.

Gannon's 39-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Porter in the back of the end zone was originally ruled incomplete. But upon television replay review, officials agreed Porter had possession of the ball before he stepped out of bounds.

Oakland's two-point conversion bid failed, leaving the score at 34-9.

The Raiders gained some momentum early in the fourth when Eric Johnson scooped up a punt blocked by Tim Johnson and scored a touchdown. Again the Raiders' two-point try failed, to leave them trailing 34-15.

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