Steelers hope victory over Bucs a sign of things to come
PITTSBURGH—Vance McDonald insists he wasn’t sending some sort of message when the Pittsburgh Steelers tight end extended his right arm toward Tampa Bay’s Chris Conte and jammed the Buccaneers defensive back into the turf on Monday night.
It was a show of force that sprung McDonald for a 75-yard touchdown reception and seemed to snap the two-time defending AFC North champions out of an early funk that threatened to swallow their season whole.
“Just playing big,” McDonald said after Pittsburgh held on for a 30-27 victory. “It was frustrating. I was (injured) in training camp, so this was kind of just a ‘Welcome Back’ almost.’”
McDonald was talking about himself. He might as well have been talking about the Steelers, too.
While there remains plenty of issues—particularly when it comes to penalties and pass defense— Pittsburgh (1-1-1) played with a sense of urgency it lacked at times during a maddening opening two weeks in which the Steelers frittered away a 14-point fourth-quarter lead in Cleveland before getting overwhelmed by Kansas City.
McDonald’s highly “GIFable” swat of Conte provided a desperately needed spark. The defense put a sudden if brief halt to Tampa Bay quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick’s hot streak by forcing a turnover on four consecutive possessions.
Ben Roethlisberger did the rest while throwing for 353 yards and three scores.
“That was a total team win, all the phases, and that’s what Steeler football is about,” Roethlisberger said.
Even if anything close to a “clean” game remains elusive. Pittsburgh was flagged 13 times for 155 yards, the defense gave up 411 yards passing and kicker Chris Boswell missed two more kicks.
Throw in some anxious moments in the fourth quarter after the Buccaneers trimmed a 20-point deficit to three and the Steelers understand they’re far from a finished product heading into a Sunday night visit by Baltimore (2-1).
Still, considering all the off-the-field issues surrounding the team in recent weeks—from wide receiver Antonio Brown’s erratic behavior to running back Le’Veon Bell’s extended absence while waiting to sign his franchise tag—they will take it.
“It was big,” cornerback Joe Haden said. “We haven’t started the season (anywhere) like we expected to, but we just wanted to start getting our first win, get that thing rolling.”
Pittsburgh created just two turnovers over the first two weeks, but produced four against the Buccaneers thanks to three interceptions—including a pick-6 by linebacker Bud Dupree— and a fumble recovery.
They’re the kind of “splash” plays coach Mike Tomlin covets, though he’s still concerned about the massive amounts of yardage his team continues to give up.
Four different Buccaneers had at least one reception of 20 yards or more, and Fitzpatrick became the first player in NFL history to top 400 yards three consecutive weeks.