The Pittsburgh Steelers avoided an attempted fourth-quarter rally by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to secure their first win of the 2018 campaign. Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led the team to a victory with 353 yards passing and 3 touchdowns completing 30 of his 38 passes. Roethlisberger’s effort was followed by a 116 yard, 1 touchdown effort from sophomore stud wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster who caught 9 passes for 116 yards.
Ryan “Fitzmagic” Fitzpatrick finished the game with another 400+ yards passing game after a relatively slow start for the career journeyman. Pro Bowl Wide Receiver Mike Evans hauled in 6 catches for 137 yards and a touchdown. Fitzpatrick’s pick-six toward the end of the first half along with lackluster defense put the Bucs down by 20 at halftime but a strong second half effort brought the Bucs to a 3 point deficit before Big Ben and the versatile Steelers offense iced the game late in the fourth.
The Steelers now hold a 1-1-1 record early in a season where their premier running back, Leveon Bell, has yet to return to action after a training camp holdout due to failed contract negotiations. James Conner has served as Bell’s replacement and has been a great second option for the Mike Tomlin led franchise although his stats from Monday don’t reflect the impact he’s had has carried the ball 15 times for 61 yards.
As for Tampa Bay, this is their first loss of the season under a spectacular Ryan Fitzpatrick who seems slated to replace Jameis Winston who returns from his 3 game suspension on Tuesday. Winston was suspended for allegedly groping an Uber driver in 2016. With Fitzpatrick’s excellent work in Winston’s absence, there doesn’t seem to be an urgent need for the former Florida State QB to return in week 4.
The Steelers return to action on Sunday night to play their division rival the Baltimore Ravens who are 2-1. The Bucs will take on Khalil Mack and the undefeated Chicago Bears next week at Soldier Field.
