Gameday Preview: Buccaneers Head to Pittsburgh Hoping to Make a Statement
The NFC South will crossover to face the AFC North this season.
For many years, this would have been considered a daunting task. And it still is, with Tampa slated to face off against two very talented teams with the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals in the weeks to come.
Historically though, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been the most consistently competitive team in the division.
Not this year.
Sitting at 1-4 heading into this week's home game vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Steelers are a bit of a conundrum.
Despite their disappointing record, they do have talent.
On the defensive side of the ball, superstar pass rusher, T.J. Watt, and perennial All-Pro defensive tackle, Cam Heyward, set the tone. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, Watt remains out of the lineup due to a torn bicep. On the back end, Minkah Fitzpatrick is one of the most intelligent and versatile safeties in the game. But he, along with several other defensive backs, has been ruled out for this matchup as well.
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The Steelers, despite their early struggles this season, have an impressive collection of talented playmakers on offense. In terms of their receivers, Diontae Johnson is crafty at all levels, Chase Claypool is physically imposing on the outside, and rookie receiver, George Pickens, has the talent to become a franchise cornerstone wideout. Throw in a very capable second-year running back in Najee Harris, and the first quarterback selected in this year's draft in Kenny Pickett, and there's no denying that Pittsburgh has the talent to score points against anyone.
Their offensive line, on the other hand, isn't exactly constructed in a way that puts their skill-position players in a position to be successful. They simply don't have the horses up front to give their offense time to be productive.
This lines up quite nicely for the Buccaneers, as their defensive line — though not as potent as most expected coming into the season — is coming off a 5 sack performance vs. Atlanta, and looking to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with.
Like the Steelers, the back end of Tampa's defense is a little banged up too, but after getting in some valuable practice reps late in the week, it looks like the starters will suit up this weekend. The depth of this group won't be as extensive as what head coach, Todd Bowles, is used to though, with reserve defensive backs, Logan Ryan and Sean Murphy-Bunting, both unavailable due to injury.
The Bucs are coming off a win, but one that saw the offense stall in the second half. Based on last season, this has become a bit of a recurring theme for this group. With so many weapons on offense, it can be frustrating for fans to see their team 1) Struggle out of the gate and eventually find their footing just in time to win the game; or 2) Come out firing before inevitably allowing an inferior opponent to crawl back into the game.
This Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense is due to put forth an impressive effort over four full quarters.
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Based on the regression we've seen from this Pittsburgh Steelers team this season, as well as their assortment of injuries at key positions, it would be disappointing if the Bucs aren't able to dominate this game from start to finish.
A win is a win, so the team will accept that result no matter the process. But like many fans hope to see, I expect the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in dominating fashion this Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
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