Is that a duck on the 40-yard line? Behind the viral moment from Sunday's Bucs game

The duck on the field of during the Bucs game.

TAMPA, Fla. - The Buccaneers beating the Panthers by 34 points was not the biggest story to come out of Sunday's game. Instead, a viral moment when a duck ran onto the field during action has gone viral.

"I caught a duck on the field. I caught a duck on the field," said Anchor Brant, a member of the Buccaneers Flag Crew, as he lovingly kissed and petted the fowl Sunday.

Brant went viral on social media and drew cheers from the happy crowd as they watched him charm the duck and take it away as the Bucs dominated the Panthers.

The duck escapade caused a ten-minute delay in the game when it flew into the stadium and apparently strolled onto the field.

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However, it was the Buccaneer's veteran ball boy, Bruce Barter, who thought he'd seen everything in his 24 years with the team, who was first ordered by the referees to get the duck off the field.

"I said I don't want to get the duck off the field. They said we need you to get the duck off the field. I said I'll try," Barter said.

Brandt attempting to shoe the duck off the field.

By day, Barter works as an I.T. professional who says he has never wrangled a duck before. He knew the fowl had become a crowd favorite following its unusual arrival.

"I knew it could be an ugly situation as I was walking towards the duck," Barter told FOX 13 News. "There's no NFL training on this."

As a football guy, Barter knows about kicking or throwing, but he knew neither would be appropriate, especially with the crowd on the duck's side.

"I knew I was going to be booed as the bad guy," Barter said.

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In his awkward dance with the duck, Barter finally herded and gently nudged it until it waddled to the sideline. Barter says, however, that he understands the humor in the situation.

"I got clowned by a duck on national TV," Barter chuckled.

Brandt attempting to shoe the duck off the field.

On CBS TV, Ian Eagle (yes, Eagle), the game play-by-play announcer, laughingly described the Tampa Duck Drama to his audience.

The cameras were so fixated on the duck that they missed the first Bucs blocked punt for a touchdown in 12 years.

Not everyone liked the duck.

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"It delayed our win by 10 minutes," said Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles after the game, followed by the laughter of reporters.

It turns out that the duck was such a hit that the team's PR department mocked up a photograph of the duck wearing a Bucs jersey.

Buccaneers tweet of duck wearing jersey.

"Tampa's Duck Whisperer," Anchor Brant gets credit as the hero but gives Barter some credit. He never ordered the duck and resisted any urge to kick the fowl off the field.

"I should be elected to the Pro Bowl or something for at least getting it off the field," Brant said as he laughed.

Go Duckaneers!

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