What Went Right, What Went Wrong

What went right, wrong at Tampa Bay

Sep 24, 2018 at 11:45 PM

The highs and lows of the Steelers matchup vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

COIN TOSS: Steelers call tails. It's heads. Tampa Bay defers. Pittsburgh gets the ball.

Kickoff

8:18 p.m. – What Went Wrong: It wasn't a fast start by the Steelers offense. After Jordan Dangerfield was flagged for holding on the opening kickoff, the Steelers started at their own 10-yard line. A three-and-out later, Jordan Berry's 43-yard punt was downed at the Buccaneers 41-yard line.

8:22 p.m. – What Went Right: The Steelers defense also authored a three-and-out on Tampa Bay's first series, with the big play being Joe Haden's breakup of a pass intended for Chris Godwin on third down. The Steelers offense began its second series on its own 23-yard line.

8:27 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Steelers managed a couple of first downs on their second possession – on a 10-yard pass to James Conner and then a 14-yard pass to Vance McDonald, but on first-and-10 from the Steelers 48-yard line, A Roethlisberger pass for JuJu Smith-Schuster was intercepted by safety Justin Evans, and the Buccaneers took over at their own 47-yard line.

8:32 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Buccaneers took quick advantage of the takeaway by going 52 yards in five plays for a touchdown that came on a 4-yard pass to TE Cameron Brate. The big plays on the drive included an 18-yard run by Peyton Barber and a 14-yard pass to Mike Evans. With 7:21 left in the first quarter, Tampa Bay had a 7-0 lead.

8:38 p.m. – What Went Right: The Steelers scored a touchdown on their ensuing possession on a 75-yard catch-and-run by Vance McDonald. After catching the ball along the left sideline, McDonald stiff-armed Chris Conte to the ground and out-ran the rest of the Tampa Bay defense to complete the play. Chris Boswell's extra point attempt hit the upright, and so with 5:48 remaining in the first quarter the Buccaneers' lead was 7-6.

8:48 p.m. – What Went Right: The Buccaneers moved to a first down at the Steelers 29-yard line, but the Pittsburgh defense stiffened right there. On second-and-8, Jon Bostic broke up a pass for O.J. Howard, and then Anthony Chickillo sacked Ryan Fitzpatrick for a 10-yard loss that brought on Buccaneers punter Bryan Anger.

End of 1st Quarter: Buccaneers 7, Steelers 6

9:03 p.m. – What Went Right: The Steelers took a 9-7 lead on Chris Boswell's 38-yard field goal that capped a nine-play, 72-yard drive. The big plays on the drive were a 43-yard completion to Smith-Schuster, and a 12-yard completion to McDonald that converted a third-and-11. The Steelers led with just more than 12 minutes remaining in the first half.

9:07 p.m. – What Went Right: A takeaway resulting from Artie Burns forcing a fumble and Mike Hilton recovering it at the Buccaneers 33-yard line then became a two-play touchdown drive capped by a 27-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown. The Steelers led, 16-7, with 10:53 remaining in the second quarter.

9:16 p.m. – What Went Right: A second Steelers takeaway stopped a Tampa Bay drive that had reached the Pittsburgh 12-yard line. A blitzing Jon Bostic batted a Ryan Fitzpatrick pass high into the air, and Hilton intercepted at the Steelers 6-yard line with 8:04 remaining in the first half and the Steelers holding a 16-7 lead.

9:28 p.m. – What Went Right: A third Steelers takeaway gave the offense the ball at the Buccaneers 35-yard line with just less than six minutes left in the first half. Terrell Edmunds made his first NFL interception and returned the ball 38 yards.

9:31 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Steelers failed to capitalize on Edmunds' interception because Roethlisberger was sacked on two of the team's three offensive plays following the takeaway. But Jordan Berry salvaged something from the exchange when his punt was downed at the 2-yard line.

9:33 p.m. – What Went Right: Sometimes the best offense is a good defense. On the third down following the downing of Berry's punt, Fitzpatrick attempted to get the ball to RB Jacquizz Rodgers, but the ball was intercepted by Bud Dupree, who returned it 10 yards for the touchdown that gave the Steelers a 23-7 lead.

9:42 p.m. – What Went Right: It was a possession that ended with a Tampa Bay field goal, but since it was a field goal that came after the Buccaneers had a first-and-goal at the Steelers 5-yard following a 51-yard pass to Mike Evans, it was something of a win for the defense. On third down, Joe Haden broke up a pass for Chris Godwin in the end zone. The Steelers led, 23-10, with 1:15 left in the first half.

9:53 p.m. – What Went Right: Roethlisberger did a masterful job of running the hurry-up offense following the Buccaneers field goal that extended the lead to 30-10 at halftime. The drive covered 75 yards in nine plays and took 69 seconds, with the touchdown coming on a 1-yard pass to Ryan Switzer. On the drive, Roethlisberger completed 8-of-9 passes.

Halftime: Buccaneers 30, Steelers 10

10:25 p.m. – What Went Right: The Buccaneers managed to cut into the Steelers lead on their opening possession of the second half, but since they moved to a first-and-goal at the 6-yard line and had to settle for a field goal, it can be looked upon as a win for the Steelers defense. Sacks by Bud Dupree and Jon Bostic helped the Steelers cause. Their lead was 30-13 with 7:07 remaining in the third period.

10:38 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The drive had so much promise. Ben Roethlisberger converted a couple of different third downs with completions to Smith-Schuster, and then he converted another with a completion to James Washington. But on a third-and-4 from the Buccaneers 28-yard line, Roethlisberger was the victim of a sack/strip, but B.J. Finney recovered to set up a 47-yard field goal attempt by Chris Boswell. But he missed again, because his kick hit the upright again. The score remained, 30-13, with 1:06 left in the third quarter.

End of 3rd Quarter: Steelers 30, Buccaneers 13

10:56 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Buccaneers cut into the Steelers lead again on their next possession, with what ended up being a 12-play, 63-yard drive capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin. The Steelers defense had a chance to get off the field when Tampa Bay faced a fourth-and-6 from the 42-yard line, but Fitzpatrick completed a 9-yard pass to Cameron Brate. The Steelers lead was 30-20 with 11:06 remaining in the game.

11:04 p.m. – What Went Right: What would have been a long punt return for a touchdown by DeSean Jackson was nullified by a holding penalty on Isaiah Johnson. Instead of a touchdown, Tampa Bay started at their own 8-yard line with 8:40 remaining in the game.