Fitzmagic vs. Big Ben should see passes galore
Pre-season expectations mean so little, don’t they?
Every year, the NFL offers surprises just a few weeks into the schedule.
Two such surprise teams are on display in this week’s Monday Night Football matchup: the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (TSN via ESPN).
The Steelers are winless (0-1-1) and the Bucs undefeated (2-0) — just as nobody expected.
Just as surprisingly, of the two starting QBS, Tampa Bay temp Ryan Fitzpatrick is the one who set a new NFL record with two 400-yard, four-touchdown passing efforts to open a season, while Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger is the one who has thrown three interceptions and lost three fumbles.
One thing we can probably bank on in this game is prolific passing. Fitzpatrick and Roethlisberger ranked 1-2 in the NFL in passing yards after two weeks of play, with 819 and 787, respectively.
Just how much of a factor Pittsburgh receiver Antonio Brown will be is among the top storylines.
Brown, one of the most accomplished NFL receivers in modern times, moped worse than ever last week — he claimed it was because the Steelers lost, but it sure looked and felt like an extreme pout over not getting thrown the ball often enough.
Brown skipped Monday’s meetings and was disciplined for it, head coach Mike Tomlin said.
“He is not the only one who gets frustrated in games,” Roethlisberger said. “We all get frustrated. Like I said, when you are the best in the world you might get a little more frustrated than others. AB is a very passionate football player. I think we know that.
“That is what makes him special.”
Overriding all storylines, though, is what the Bucs will do at quarterback should Fitzpatrick once again play top-shelf football.
Jameis Winston, the No. 1 draft pick in 2015, returns Tuesday from a season-opening three-game suspension levied by the league for a sexual assault incident involving a cab driver.
The feeling now is there is no way Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter could bench Fitz for Winston. Not with Fitz playing like this. Even star receiver Desean Jackson said as much this past week.
Talk about early-season surprises.