The next man up. The standard is the standard. Pittsburgh Head Coach Mike Tomlin has used
\nthese terms for years, but Sunday\u2019s game was the true embodiment of the concept.
\nThe Steelers went into the game without half of their defensive starters, including their top three
\ncornerbacks (Ahkello Witherspoon, Cam Sutton, Levi Wallace), All-Pro safety Minkah
\nFitzpatrick, and defensive end DeMarvin Leal, in addition to DPoY TJ Watt who has been on
\ninjured reserve. Tight end Pat Freiermuth was out on the offensive side of the ball.
\nIt would take a team effort with all hands on deck as they faced one of the most highly decorated
\nathletes of all time, seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and company. Pittsburgh was
\na double-digit underdog for the second week in a row.
\nWhen discussing his team\u2019s preparation for Sunday\u2019s matchup, Pittsburgh Head Coach Mike
\nTomlin stated, "They just had a lot of work in front of them. They knew who was waiting on us
\nin the stadium, and they knew the state we were in. So, not a lot of discussions needed to be had.
\nTalk is cheap. We needed a good work week."
\nThe Steelers were coming off a blowout loss to Buffalo and had lost four straight games before
\nfacing a heavily favored Tampa Bay team. Cam Heyward noted during the week, \u201cWe put
\nourselves in a ditch. We have to stop digging.\u201d After the game, Miles Jack added, \u201cThe whole
\nworld counted us out.\u201d
\nOn a day when Pittsburgh native, 1996 Olympic gold medalist, and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt
\nAngle led the Terrible Towel Twirl, the Steelers looked to lock up with a test of strength against
\nthe Buccaneers in a slobber knocker at Acrisure Stadium.
\nThe Steelers were against the ropes facing a Buccaneers defense ranked sixth overall and sixth
\nagainst the pass in the entire NFL. The game was billed as KP8 versus TB12. The 45-year-old
\nversus the 24-year-old rookie. It ended up being a redemption song for Mitch Trubisky.
\nIt was a tale of two halves, as the first half was the Kenny Pickett show and the second half was
\nMitch Trubisky\u2019s. One thing remained a constant throughout the game, the Black and Gold
\ndelivered in all phases of the game. Coach Tomlin said it was a \u201creally competitive team
\nvictory.\u201d
\nPittsburgh came right out and set the tone for the game, as the defense delivered a three and out
\nand the offense scored a touchdown on their opening possession. It was the first time the Steeler
\noffense accomplished the feat in 14 games. It also marked Kenny Pickett\u2019s first career<\/p>\n
touchdown pass. The rookie quarterback was a perfect 5-5 for 37 yards on the drive , including a
\npass to Najee Harris, who walked into the end zone after catching Pickett\u2019s pass in the flat. KP8
\nalso had a 10-yard scramble during the 11 play, 66 yard drive that put the Steelers up 7-0.
\nThe Pittsburgh defense bent but didn\u2019t break as they held Tampa Bay to a field goal after a 70-
\nyard drive. The next Steelers drive ended with sack on third down, which set the Buccaneers up
\nwith excellent field position near midfield. After Brady led the Bucs to a second and goal from
\n18 inches away, the defense forced a field goal after an impressive goal line stand. Larry
\nOgunjobi blew up a play and Cam Heyward sacked Tom Brady on third and goal to force a field
\ngoal. At the postgame presser, Head Coach Mike Tomlin stated, \u201cI\u2019m appreciative of the effort
\nof our team, their ability to smile in the face of adversity and make the necessary plays at the
\ncritical moments.\u201d
\nEach team added field goals before the half, as Chris Boswell\u2019s 55-yard field goal doinked off
\nthe crossbar to give the Steelers a 10-6 lead, and Tampa Bay was able to cut into the Pittsburgh
\nlead via a 54-yard Ryan Succop field goal as time expired to put the score at 10-9.
\nSpecial teams were a deciding factor as Pressley Harvin was able to flip the field with opportune
\npunts. Energy and momentum were created as Steven Sims returned the opening kickoff of the
\nsecond half 89 yards, though the Steelers started at the 12, came away with a field goal for a 25
\nyarder to take a 13-9 lead.
\nBrady led the Bucs down the field converting third and fourth downs, but could only come away
\nwith three points after their longest scoring drive of the season. Coach Mike Tomlin addressed
\nthe Steelers\u2019 ability to dig in their heels and rise to the occasion, "I just thought we kept them off
\nbalance with some disguises and things of that nature.\u201d Tom Brady finished 25 of 40 for 243
\nyards and a touchdown and is now 3-5 playing at the Steelers\u2019 venue.
\nThe Pittsburgh defense controlled the narrative as they held their ground and Tampa\u2019s Leonard
\nFournette to 61 yards on 21 carries. The stingy defense forced four three-and-outs, five punts,
\nand only allowed one touchdown and four field goals. Pittsburgh held Brady to just 4 of 14 on
\nthird downs. \u00a0Defensive Captain Cam Heyward acknowledged that despite the outcome, the
\nwork still isn\u2019t done, adding, \u201cI thought we applied pressure, stopped the run to a degree, but
\nman we aren't back yet. We got some work to do."
\nIn the third quarter Kenny Pickett left the game for a concussion evaluation after a blow to the
\nhead. Mitch Trubisky came came off the bench in relief of the rookie quarterback. Pickett
\ncompleted 11 of 15 passes, collecting 67 yards and his first touchdown pass as a Steeler.
\nThe turning point, which took the air out of the visitors, saw a confident and decisive Mitch
\nTrubisky, on his first full drive, convert third downs and toss a 45 yard catch and run to Connor
\nHeyward. The drive culminated with first Steelers wide receiver to catch a touchdown this
\nseason, as Chase Claypool caught a Trubisky pass from six yards out to give the home team a
\n20-12 lead. Trubisky later remarked, "I studied this week as if I was a starter, and you just
\nprepare that way. I was helping Kenny on the sidelines in the first half, just constant<\/p>\n
communications, trying to help these guys. And then when your number gets called you just go
\nout and do a different job.\u201d
\nArguably the biggest play of the day came after a stout Steelers Defense allowed a Leonard
\nFournette touchdown, which brought the Buccaneers within two points. Linebacker Devin Bush
\nbroke up a pass on the two-point conversion to keep a two point lead. Pittsburgh\u2019s Coach Tomlin
\nexpressed, \u201cI just appreciate the mettle that the group showed this week in terms of remaining
\nsingularly focused in the midst of the storm and putting together a winning performance.\u201d
\nThe Trubisky-led Steelers were able to bleed the clock and delivered when the game was on the
\nline. Pittsburgh converted four third downs of eleven yards or more with Trubisky under center.
\nHe utilized pin point accuracy and drove the ball over the middle on multiple occasions.
\nTrubisky finished 9 for 12 with 144 yards and a touchdown. The quarterback declared,
\n"Honestly, it feels good to win just as a team and to show my teammates what I'm capable of. I
\nthink the best part is just seeing their joy and excitement after a hard-fought victory like that.
\nWe've had some ups and downs the last couple weeks, but to have that feeling, that's what you
\nchase every single week.\u201d
\nA depleted Steelers defense entered the game a question mark, but delivered a statement by
\nmaking the Buccaneers earn every blade of grass. Pittsburgh held Tampa Bay to just 75 yards on
\nthe ground on 26 rushing attempts. Terrell Edmunds led the team in tackles and had a drive
\nkilling tackle for a loss on Leonard Fournette. After the game Tomlin spotlighted Edmunds, "He
\nhad to be a hub of communication," as the safety was the only regular in the defensive backfield.
\nThe coach for the Black and Gold also offered praise to linebacker Robert Spillane who served
\nas a defensive jack of all trades, saying, \u201cSpillane was critical, appreciative of his intellect and
\nhis efforts.\u201d
\nThe Steelers racked up 272 yards of total offense in the win which snapped a four-game losing
\nstreak. Chase Claypool finished with 96 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions on seven
\ntargets. The Notre Dame product averaged 14 yards per catch and also ran once for eight yards.
\nRunning back Najee Harris toted the ball 14 times for 42 yards. Pittsburgh was 7 for 15 on third
\ndowns, and many were third and long, driving deliveries. Mitch Trubisky added, "I just wanted
\nto continue to be aggressive, play free and everyone kind of just rallied together. It was fun,
\nbackyard football, if you will, but it was fun. We made plays when we had to."
\nThe Steelers finally found a way to win without TJ Watt and are now 1-8 without the reigning
\nDefensive Player of the Year. Pittsburgh improved to 2-4 with the victory and are in the mix in
\nthe AFC North, as Baltimore and Cincinnati are both 3-3 and Cleveland sits at 2-4.
\nThe Steelers will travel to Florida to take on the Dolphins Sunday night. It is still unknown if
\neither injured quarterback, Pittsburgh\u2019s Kenny Pickett or Miami\u2019s Tua Tagovailoa will play. If
\nPickett is unable to go, Mitch Trubisky\u2019s performance against the Bucs proves that the Steelers
\nare in capable and confident hands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The next man up. The standard is the standard. Pittsburgh Head Coach Mike Tomlin has used these terms for years, but Sunday\u2019s game was the true embodiment of the concept. The Steelers went into the game without half of their defensive starters, including their top three cornerbacks (Ahkello Witherspoon, Cam Sutton, Levi Wallace), All-Pro safety […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-professional"],"yoast_head":"\n