Welcome to the most comprehensive Pittsburgh Steelers Game Day Preview on the internet! This is your one stop shop for everything you need to know about the Steelers and their upcoming opponent! Mike Drakulich of Pittsburgh SportsNation brings you inside the huddle for both teams, providing all fans with a Game Preview, the Steeler’s Keys to Victory, Score Prediction, a detailed breakdown of each team, Fantasy Football Impact, Game Information, Individual Stats, Team Stats, and the latest Injury Report. Heck, you even get the weather at kickoff. The only thing you’re missing is a game uniform!

Steelers defense seek answers with Tampa’s high scoring offense next

Ever hear the saying, they look like a Chinese Fire-drill?

That’s Pittsburgh’s defense so far in 2018. Blown coverages, players out of position, guys sometimes late getting on or off the field, communications issues… you name it, you’ve probably witnessed it in the first two games of the season, in which the Steelers are giving up an astounding 31.5 points per game.

“We have a quarterback on the (defense), and we always have to play what he is playing,” defensive coordinator Keith Butler said. “Even if he is wrong, we all have to be wrong. We all have to be ‘wrong,’ and we will be right if we do that.

“I know that doesn’t make sense to y’all, but it makes sense to our guys.”

Problem is, during one play last week when the Chief’s TE Travis Kelce caught an easy 19 yard touchdown pass, half of the defense was in one scheme, while the other was in another.

That is, to put it mildly, unacceptable.

“Everybody needs to be talking, linebackers and safeties, making sure the linebackers and the D-linemen hear it,” cornerback Joe Haden said. “So it’s just echoing the calls. I think that’s about it (to fix the issues).”

Haden missed last week’s game due to injury, but will be back on the field Monday night when the Steelers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 8:15 pm at Raymond James Stadium.

“We have to do a better job of coaching, a better job of understanding what we are trying to get done in the defense and make sure we are not trying to do too much defensively,” Butler said.

Easier said, than done, so far, but both the coaches and players are doing everything they can to resolve the issues at hand.

“Yeah, the scheme of this defense, it’s just really different, yeah,” linebacker Bud Dupree said. “But once all cylinders are on the same page, it can be a deadly defense — if it’s clicking.

“So that’s all we are all trying to make sure we are working toward, that we all can be solid and doing our job and in the right places and doing the right things. As long as we’re doing that, we’ll make the defense look like the way it should look.”

The Buccaneers, behind a resurgent Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is playing in place of the suspended Jameis Winston, have done all of their damage through the air.

The running game is rarely used, as in the first two weeks, they are averaging a meager 2.7 yards per carry.

Fitzpatrick has completed 78 percent of his passes to the tune of 409.5 yards a game.

“People desire to be balanced,” Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter said. “But they desire winning more so than being balanced.”

Still, the Steelers will be prepared to slow down Tampa’s offense, whether that be via the air or ground.

You’ve got to prepare for both,” Steelers cornerback Mike Hilton said. “They might have tendencies. But they’ll go back to the run eventually.”

Extras

• “Steelers now listening to trade offers for RB Le’Veon Bell, league sources tell ESPN,” read a posted tweet from ESPN’s Adam Schefter early Sunday.
• Word out the clubhouse is the Steelers are growing tiresome of the Bell Saga and may move him in the near future.
• Bell is locked in at a $14.5 million salary, which is prorated for the games he is on an active roster for, this season. Bell has already forfeited more than $2.5 million of that by not signing the tender; in which he will lose $855,000 each week he does not.
• Teams rumored to be in the hunt for Bell include the San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• Be sure to follow Mike Drakulich at @PghSportsNation for up the the minute updates.

Steelers Keys To Victory

Offense

• Attack Tampa’s Secondary!
• Utilize Conner In Both Running and Passing Game!

Defense

• Make a Damn Play!
• Get Off the Field on 3rd Downs!

Prediction

Usually when the lights come on, the Pittsburgh Steelers go into a frenzy.

During night games, Ben Roethlisberger is 14-3 as a starter on Monday Night Football. It’s also easier finding a virgin in a Maternity Ward than it is to ever see the Steelers start off a season winless in their first three games.

Last week, most figured the Steelers would shake off their mini collapse at Cleveland and bury the Chiefs in the home opener… well, things didn’t exactly go according to plan, as the Steelers were ravaged by Pat Maholmes and KC 42-37.

The Steeler defense had an extra day of preparation to find the answers to the brutal questions they sought from top to bottom from a unit giving up 31.5 points per game.

If not, expect another shootout as we saw vs Kansas City.

The Steelers have been a team in turmoil for most of Training Camp, now leaking into the 2018 season. Le’Veon Bell continues to hold out, and now there are rumors he may be traded, and last week during the Chiefs game, Antonio Brown went a little crazy on the sideline, and followed that up by engaging in a Twitter beef with a former Steeler’s PR employee.

Brown wasn’t happy that he wasn’t getting more throws, and Roethlisberger, though frustrated with Brown’s antics at times, understands Brown’s nature.

“He’s not the only guy who gets frustrated in games,” Roethlisberger said. “We all get frustrated. When you’re the best in the world, you might get a little more frustrated than others. A.B. is a very passionate football player. We all know that. Fans know that. That’s what makes him special — the passion for this game and the passion to be great. So we’re not going to take that away from him.

“When he’s getting frustrated in games, I just want him to stay with me and talk to me, communicate with me and let me know. If I missed you on something, or if you’re getting open and I didn’t see it, let’s just talk and communicate.”

This team is too good for all of this madness to be occurring. The window is open to win championship #7, but those same windows can be slammed shut when teams down work together as a true team. Under the lights and in prime-time is a perfect place to right the ship and gain some confidence moving forward.

I like the Steelers to continue putting up big numbers offensively, while bringing Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Tampa offense back to reality. The fear of going 0-2-1 to start this season should jolt this team back to preseason expectations. With the Ravens, Falcons, and Bengals looming large in the next three games, it better have.

Steelers 34 Buccaneers 24

Game Information

Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 

• Venue: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL.
• Kickoff: Monday, September 24th, at 8:15 pm
• Game Tickets Link
• TV: ESPN | Announcers: Joe Tessitore (play-by-play) Jason Witten and Booger McFarland (analysts) | Lisa Salters (sideline)
• Local Radio: Pittsburgh- 102.5 WDVE-FM/970 WBGG-AM | Announcers: Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play) Tunch Ilkin (analyst) | Craig Wolfley (sideline)
• National Radio: Westwood One Sports  | Announcers: Kurt Warner (play-by-play) Ed Werder (analyst)
• Weather at Kickoff: 82 and cloudy. Light winds.
• Vegas Line: Steelers -1

Fantasy Football Focus

Pittsburgh Steelers

• Start: QB Ben Roethlisberger, RB James Conner, WR Antonio Brown, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
• Sleeper: TE Jesse James
• Sit: None

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Start: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, WR Mike Evans, WR DeSean Jackson
• Sleeper: TE O.J. Howard
• Sit: RB Peyton Barber

Steelers-Buccaneers History

• Series History: Series began in 1976
• The Steelers are 8-2 in the overall Regular Season series against the Bucs
• Steelers are 5-1 on Road vs the Bucs
• Streak: Bucs won previous meeting
• Last Regular Season Meeting: Sept. 28, 2014, in Pittsburgh (Tampa Bay 27 Pittsburgh 24)
• Steelers are 0-0 in the Post-Season vs the Bucs
• Last Post-Season Meeting: N/A

Game Notes

• Buccaneers S Jordan Whitehead is from Aliquippa, Pa., and played at the University of Pittsburgh.
• Buccaneers DL Will Clarke hails from Pittsburgh, PA.
• Ben Roethlisberger, with a win, would improve to 14-3 as a starter on Monday Night Football, including 8-3 on the road in Monday prime time games.
• Roethlisberger needs 17 touchdown passes to record No. 350 in his NFL career.
• Antonio Brown needs three touchdown catches to tie John Stallworth (63) for the third-most scoring receptions in franchise history.
• Brown, with 100 catches in 2018, will become the first player in NFL history to record 100 or more receptions in six consecutive years.
• JuJu Smith-Schuster is two touchdown receptions shy of 10 in his NFL career.
• T.J. Watt needs five sacks to reach 15 in his NFL career.

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A look at the Pittsburgh Steelers!

• Overall Record: 0-1-1
• Head Coach: Mike Tomlin (12th Season with Steelers)
• Overall Regular Season Record: 116-61-1 (.654)
• Playoff Record: 8-7 (Qualified for playoffs 8 times)
• 2018 Pittsburgh Steelers Roster
• Steelers Team Statistics, including Defensive Stats
• Last Game: Chiefs 42 Steelers 37

Scouting the Steelers

Quarterback

Ben Roethlisberger is looking to have one his best seasons yet. Big Ben’s big arm, along with his uncanny ability to slip out of the pocket and extend plays makes him one one of the league’s best.

Running Backs

Le’Veon Bell is one of the league’s best backs. He is dynamic in both running and catching the ball out of the backfield, but until he signs his contract and reports to the team… who cares? James Conner is more than capable of shouldering a starters share of carries. He has slimmed down and has added speed and quickness to an already powerful running style. Jaylen Samuels is an H-Back type of player that can line up all over the field. He is especially dangerous catching passes out of the backfield. Steven Ridley is a capable runner that can be counted upon on an as needed basis.

Wide Receivers

What more can you say about Antonio Brown? He is the league’s best wide receiver. His dedication and drive to be the best is unmatched by any player in the league. JuJu Smith-Schuster heads into his 2nd season and looks to make even more of an impact than he made as a rookie. Speaking of rookies, James Washington was a Camp favorite of Roethlisberger, and could quickly establish himself as a dangerous weapon in the slot as the 3rd receiver. Justin Hunter is a nice deep threat. Darrius Heyward-Bey is mainly used on special teams. Ryan Switzer will see time in the passing game at times, but his value is best used in the return game.

Tight Ends

Jesse James is reliable as ever. Vance McDonald is looking to make a big impact in his 2nd year as a Steeler, looking to build off a 10-catch, 112-yard day in a postseason loss to the Jaguars. Xavier Grimble provides a big target for Roethlisberger in the Red Zone.

Defense

Up front, the Steelers deploy Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt as their defensive ends. In the middle, Javon Hargrave and Daniel McCullers will rotate. Tyson Alualu and Kameron Canaday will see time at defensive end as well. L.T. Walton can play all three spots.

The linebacker unit goes Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt on the outside, with Vince Williams and Jon Bostic in the middle. Anthony Chickillo and Matthew Thomas back-up Dupree and Watt, while L.J. Fort and Tyler Matakevich are reserves in the middle.

In the secondary, Artie Burns and Joe Haden are the starters at cornerback. Backing them up will be Mike Hilton, Cameron Sutton, and Coty Sensabaugh. Rookie Terrell Edmunds starts at strong safety, with Morgan Burnett backing him up and seeing plenty of action in nickle and dime formations. Sean Davis is the starter yet again at free safety, with Nat Berhe and Marcus Allen as reserves.

Stats

Quarterback

• Ben Roethlisberger (787 yards passing | 4 TD passes | 3 interceptions | 5 sacks | 25 yards rushing | 0 TD’s)

Running Backs

• James Conner (152 yards rushing | 3 rushing TD’s | 10 receptions | 105 yards receiving | 4 receiving TD’s)
• Jaylen Samuels (0 yards rushing | 0 rushing TD’s | 0 receptions | 0 yards receiving | 0 receiving TD’s)
• Stevan Ridley (2 yards rushing | 0 rushing TD’s | 1 receptions | 5 yards receiving | 0 receiving TD’s)
• Roosevelt Nix (0 yards rushing | 0 rushing TD’s | 0 receptions | 0 yards receiving | 0 receiving TD’s)

Wide Receivers

• Antonio Brown (18 receptions | 160 receiving yards | 1 receiving TD’s)
• Juju Smith-Schuster (18 receptions | 240 receiving yards | 1 receiving TD’s)
• James Washington (1 receptions | 14 receiving yards | 1 receiving TD’s)
• Ryan Switzer (1 receptions | 14 receiving yards | 0 receiving TD’s)
• Justin Hunter (1 receptions | 6 receiving yards | 0 receiving TD’s)
• Darrius Heyward-Bey (0 receptions | 0 receiving yards | 0 receiving TD’s)

Tight Ends

• Jesse James (8 receptions | 198 receiving yards | 1 receiving TD’s)
• Vance McDonald (3 receptions | 26 receiving yards | 0 receiving TD’s)
• Xavier Grimble (0 receptions | 0 receiving yards | 0 receiving TD’s)

Kicker

• Chris Boswell (Extra Point: 6-7 | FG: 0-2 | 0-19: 0-0 | 20-29: 0-0 | 30-39: 0-0 | 40-49: 0-2 | 50+: 0-0 | Long: N/A)

*Injured

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A look at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers!

• Overall Record: 2-0
• Head Coach:  Dirk Koetter (3rd Season with Bucs)
• Overall Regular Season Record: 16-18 (.471) | 16-18 (.471) with Bucs
• Playoff Record: 0-0 (Qualified for playoffs 0 times)
• 2018 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Roster
• Tampa Bay Team Statistics, including Defensive Stats
• Last Week: Bucs 27 Eagles 21

Scouting the Buccaneers

Quarterback

Ryan Fitzpatrick is off to a blazing start in place of the suspended Jameis Winston so far, firing eight touchdowns to just one interception. Fitzpatrick loves the long ball and has a gunslinger’s mentality, so the Steelers secondary had better be prepared.

Running Backs

Peyton Barber is the starter but hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. He has just 91 yards rushing and one reception for seven yards. Jacquizz Rodgers is more of a scat-back who burns you catching passes out of the backfield.

Wide Receivers

Mike Evans is the Bucs top guy, but DeSean Jackson is staking his claim to the throne, as Jackson leads the team in receiving yards with 275, to go along with three scores. Evans is also off to a fast start, recording 17 receptions in just two games. Chris Godwin and Adam Humphries are Tampa’s #3 and #4 WR’s.

Tight End

O.J. Howard makes the most of his catches, as he is averaging 30 yards a pop.

Defense

The Bucs defense has been bailed out by it’s high scoring offense, giving up 30.5 points per game so far. The secondary is a dumpster fire, giving up 376.5 yards through the air.

Stats

Quarterback

• Ryan Fitzpatrick (819 yards passing | 8 TD passes | 1 interceptions | 2 sacks | 35 yards rushing | 1 TD’s)

Running Backs

• Peyton Barber (91 yards rushing | 0 rushing TD’s | 1 receptions | 7 yards receiving | 0 receiving TD’s)
• Jacquizz Rodgers (14 yards rushing | 0 rushing TD’s | 5 receptions | 25 yards receiving | 0 receiving TD’s)

Wide Receivers

• DeSean Jackson (9 receptions | 275 receiving yards | 3 receiving TD’s)
• Mike Evans (17 receptions | 230 receiving yards | 2 receiving TD’s)
• Chris Godwin (8 receptions | 97 receiving yards | 2 receiving TD’s)
• Adam Humphries (4 receptions | 35 receiving yards | 0 receiving TD’s)

Tight End

• O.J. Howard (5 receptions | 150 receiving yards | 1 receiving TD’s)

Kicking

• Chandler Catanzaro (Extra Point: 9-10 | FG: 2-3 | 0-19: 0-0 | 20-29: 0-0 | 30-39: 2-2 | 40-49: 1-1 | 50+: 0-0 | Long: 36)

Steelers – Buccaneers: Offense vs Defense Match-Up

• Steelers Offense: Steelers average 489.5 YPG | Bucs defense allows 443.5 YPG
• Rushing: Steelers average 96 YPG | Bucs defense allows 67 YPG
• Passing: Steelers average 393.5 YPG | Bucs defense allows 376.5 YPG
• Scoring: Steelers average 29 PPG | Bucs defense allows 30.5 PPG

• Steelers Defense: Steelers allow 388 YPG | Bucs offense averages 487 YPG
• Rushing: Steelers allow 152 YPG | Bucs offense averages 77.5 YPG
• Passing: Steelers allow 236 YPG | Bucs offense averages 409.5 YPG
• Scoring: Steelers allow 31.5 PPG | Bucs offense averages 37.5 PPG

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Injury Report (9/23/2018)

Pittsburgh Steelers

• Out: RB Le’Veon Bell (Contract)
• Doubtful: S Morgan Burnett (Groin), G David DeCastro (Hand), OT Marcus Gilbert (Hamstring)
• Questionable: N/A

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Out: CB Marcus Williams (Hamstring), DT Vita Vea (Calf), DT Beau Allen (Foot)
• Doubtful: N/A
• Questionable:S Chris Conte (Knee), CB Brent Grimes (Groin)

Pittsburgh Steelers 2018 Schedule

Preseason (3-1)

Thursday, Aug. 9 @ Philadelphia W, 31-14 (KDKA)
Thursday, Aug. 16 @ Green Bay L, 51-34 (KDKA)
Saturday, Aug. 25 TENNESSEE W, 16-6 (KDKA/NFL Network)
Thursday, Aug. 30 CAROLINA W, 39-24 (KDKA)

Regular Season (0-1-1)

Sunday, Sept. 9 @ Cleveland 1 p.m. (CBS) | TIE 21-21
Sunday, Sept. 16 KANSAS CITY 1 p.m. (CBS) | L 42-37
Monday, Sept. 24 @ Tampa Bay 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, Sept. 30 BALTIMORE 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Sunday, Oct. 7 ATLANTA* 1 p.m. (FOX)
Sunday, Oct. 14 @ Cincinnati* 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Oct. 21 BYE WEEK
Sunday, Oct. 28 CLEVELAND* 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Nov. 4 @ Baltimore* 1 p.m. (CBS)
Thursday, Nov. 8 CAROLINA 8:20 p.m. (FOX/NFL Network/Amazon)
Sunday, Nov. 18 @ Jacksonville* 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Sunday, Nov. 25 @ Denver* 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Dec. 2 LOS ANGELES CHARGERS* 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Dec. 9 @ Oakland* 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Sunday, Dec. 16 NEW ENGLAND* 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Monday, Dec. 23 @ New Orleans* 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Dec. 30 CINCINNATI* 1 p.m. (CBS)

* – Times may change due to flexible scheduling

Postseason

Sat.-Sun., Jan. 5-6 Wild Card Weekend
Sat.-Sun., Jan. 12-13 Divisional Playoff Games
Sunday, Jan. 20 Conference Championships
Sunday, Jan. 27 Pro Bowl (Orlando, Fla.)
Sunday, Feb. 3 Super Bowl LIII (Atlanta, Ga.)