The Steelers were upset by one of the worst teams in the NFL and hopefully it will not be deja vu when they once again face a winless team this weekend.
After playing without a doubt their greatest game of the season against the Carolina Panthers, the Steelers laid an egg against the then winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers last weekend.
The Bucs under the leadership of new coach Lovie Smith, who took the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl, only to be fired a few years later after a 10-6 season, is in his first season with the Bucs after sitting out a year.
The Bucs also had a new quarterback in Mike Glennon who was supposed to be the face of the future but with the injury to the starter he was forced into action and probably will be the starting quarterback from now on.
The Steelers defense held the Bucs in check the first half allowing only 64 total yards but the offense was only able to build a 17-10 lead.
The key possession of the game was the start of the third quarter, when the Bucs took the ball downfield and scored to tie the game. From that point on it was anybody’s game until Tampa Bay scored with only second’s left to secure the win. They took the ball 46 yards to score in just 33 seconds, after a three and out by the offense. Just one first down would have won the game.
Ben Roethlishberger, Antonio Brown, and Heath Miller had outstanding games but the running game was held in check with Le’Veon Bell picking up just 63 yards on 19 carries and LeGarrette Blount only got 4 carries for 25 yards. Heath Miller led all receivers with 10 catches for 85 yards and Antonio Brown set a record for most consecutive games with 5 or more catches with 7 for 131 yards. Ben Roethlisberger was 29 of 40 for 314 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Steelers out gained the Bucs on the ground and through the air but the only stat that really mattered was the 27-24 score.
The defense looked very poor and slow against one of the worst offenses in the league. Glennon was 21 of 42 for 302 yards and two touchdowns. The Bucs only had 59 rushing yards. But 13 penalties, with 6 being for 15 yards or more are what really killed the Steelers. The Bucs also sacked Roethlisberger six times.
The loss drops the Steelers into third place in the AFC North Division at 2-2 behind the 3-0 Cincinnati Bengals who had a bye week, and the 3-1 Baltimore Ravens, who beat Carolina 38-10. The Cleveland Browns were also idle at 1-2.
As bad as Tampa Bay was, most believe that it’s a toss up between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Oakland Raiders as to which is the worst team in the NFL. And the Steelers will face the Jags this weekend.
Despite being easily disposed of by the San Diego Charges, 33-14 last Sunday, the Jags did show some spark with rookie quarterback Blake Bortles, 29 of 37 for 253 yards, taking over for the injured Chad Henne. Bortles was the third overall pick in the draft, and has been called the franchise quarterback. Some compare him to Big Ben, because he’s big and mobile and can throw the ball. He has below average running backs and receivers, so there has to be some upgrades at the skill positions and offensive line in order if the Jags are going to win any games this season. Toby Gerhart and Denard Robinson combined for 57 yards rushing against the Chargers, and Allen Hurns, their top receiver had 5 catches for 68 yards.
Phillip Rivers had a field day against their defense as he had 377 yards, as he was 29 of 39 for 377 yards and 3 touchdowns. There was no need for them to run the ball until they needed to eat up the clock at the end of the game.
This team will not only struggle to make it to 500 they just may battle the Raiders for the first overall pick in the draft next season with a 0-4 start. Looking at them against the Chargers, it’s hard to believe they stand a chance against Pittsburgh but the Steelers seem to bring out the best in terrible teams.
