Steelers halt second-half surge
all caught touchdown passes. Bud Dupree returned an interception 10 yards for a touchdown. McDonald and JuJu Smith-Schuster each had over 100 yards receiving. It was the third 100-yard game this year for Smith-Schuster.
Tampa Bay whittled the Steelers 20-point halftime lead to 30-27 with three scores in the second half, a field goal and two touchdowns.
Fitzpatrick threw touchdown passes of 4 yards to Chris Godwin and 24 to Mike Evans, the latter with 5:43 left in the game to cut the lead to three.
The Steelers led, 30-13, after three quarters.
After combining for 40 points in the first half, the teams scored just three in the third quarter, a field goal by the Buccaneers.
The Steelers defense caught a break on the first drive of the third quarter. From the Bucs’ 44, Chris Godwin caught a pass and fell down at the 36. No Steelers player appeared to touch him, and he jumped up and completed a 56-yard touchdown.
The play, however, was overturned on replay when someone in the league office decided someone did touch down Godwin.
Tampa Bay wound up scoring just three points to finish that drive on Chandler Catanzaro’s second field goal, from 28 yards.
The Steelers led, 30-13. with 7:07 to go in the third.
It stayed that way when Chris Boswell, who missed an extra-oint kick earlier, missed a field-goal try from 47 yards late in the third quarter.
A defense that came under fire all week, turned the tables in the first half to help the Steelers take a 30-10 lead.
After allowing 42 points in a loss to Kansas City eight days earlier, the Steelers defense produced four turnovers in the first half. Mike Hilton had an interception and a fumble recovery. Dupree intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown.
In the meantime, Roethlisberger and his offense took full advantage of it all. He threw touchdown passes of 75 yards to McDonald, 27 yards to Brown and one yard to Switzer.
Roethlisberger completed 21 of 25 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. He was 8 of 9 on the final drive for all 75 yards, the final one to Switzer for the score with six seconds left.
Two players in somewhat murky waters over the past week came through with big plays to propel the Steelers into a 16-7 lead.
Cornerback Artie Burns, benched to start the game in favor of Coty Sensabaugh, returned to the lineup after two series. He stripped the ball from Godwin, and Hilton recovered at the Bucs’ 33.
Two plays later, Roethlisberger threw a short pass to Brown, who eluded one tackler and broke another tackle to complete a 27-yard touchdown.
Hilton again came up with a turnover after Tampa Bay had a first down at the Steelers’ 12. Linebacker Jon Bostic, rushing on the play, tipped Fitzpatrick’s pass into the air and Hilton intercepted at the six to thwart that scoring opportunity.
Terrell Edmunds came up with his first NFL interception and returned it 35 yards to the Bucs’ 35, but two sacks of Roethlisberger forced a punt.
Two plays later, however, Fitzpatrick threw a perfect spiral from his two — right into the hands of Dupree, who practically walked in for a 10-yard TD interception return.
The Steelers led, 23-7, with 2:50 left to go, but neither team was done.
Fitzpatrick, not gun-shy, threw a deep pass on his next series from his 44. Evans, racing step for step down the left sideline with Burns, made a fabulous catch at the five. This time, the Bucs did not squander their opportunity but also did not score a touchdown. Joe Haden, on third down, stripped the ball from the hands of Godwin in the end zone for an incompletion and Catanzaro kicked a 21-yard field goal.
The Steelers led, 23-10. with 1:15 left in the first half, and then mounted the 75yard drive to make it 30-10 at halftime.
Boswell put the Steelers in front 9-7 with a 38-yard field goal early in the second.
Roethlisberger and Fitzpatrick traded touchdown passes in the first quarter.
Fitzpatrick’s ninth touchdown pass of the season put the Bucs on top, 7-0. Roethlisberger responded with a 75yarder to tight end McDonald.
Tampa Bay scored after Roethlisberger threw his fourth interception of the season on the Steelers’ second series.
He slid to his left to avoid pressure, and tossed one toward Smith-Schuster, but he was covered tightly and the pass was intercepted to give the Bucs the ball at their 47.
Tampa Bay needed five plays to cover 53 yards, 17 on a gallop through a big hole in the middle of the Steelers defense by Payton Barber to the four.
From there, Fitzpatrick hit tight end Cameron Brate, who was wide open in the middle of the end zone. The Bucs led, 7-0. Things were looking bleak for the Steelers as they lined up for a third down at their 25, but Roethlisberger threw a pass 10 yards to McDonald, who stiff-armed safety Chris Conte near midfield and ran the rest of the way for a 75-yard touchdown.
Boswell, who issed two field goals, missed his second extra-point kick, and Tampa Bay held a 7-6 lead.