Hagen’s Week 3 Recap – Bucs vs. Steelers

0

Welcome back down to earth, Bucs nation. With the third game in the books, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are no longer undefeated. The Buccaneers started off fast and created a turnover as Justin Evans picked off Ben Roethlisberger after each team had a three and out to start the game. Then, after disappearing during the first two weeks, Cameron Brate showed up and caught a pass in the end zone for a touchdown.

After that, the Steelers took over and basically dominated the first half. Our defensive backfield had no answer for one of the best offenses in the game, including Antonio Brown, Juju Smith-Schuster and Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger threw for 3 scores in the first half, going into halftime with a comfortable 30-10 lead.

Meanwhile, Ryan Fitzpatrick lost his magic and did not have a good first half, overthrowing easy targets on multiple occasions and getting picked off three times. He did find his rhythm in the second half, passing for another two touchdowns, one to Godwin and the other one to Mike Evans with just a few minutes left in the game, cutting the Steelers‘ lead to three.

But the Bucs were not able to capitalize and turn the late rally into a victory. They lost the game 30-27. Once again Tampa Bay did not use the running game very much and when they did, other than an 18-yard gain in the first quarter, it was not very efficient.

On a positive note, the defensive line played well and was consistently able to put pressure on Roethlisberger. Jason Pierre-Paul had a huge game, recording two sacks and also forcing one fumble as he stripped the ball out of Roethlisberger’s hands.

The team showed a lot of heart, and will. Coming back from a seemingly lost game at halftime, trailing by 20, to have a great chance to win it at the end speaks volumes for the willingness of the team. DeSean Jackson returned a punt for a touchdown late in the game, but it was called back because of a penalty. Who knows how the game would have ended if the touchdown had stood.

To put it in a nut shell, the team’s ineffectiveness in the red zone combined with Fitzpatrick’s turnovers cost the Bucs the game. Next up is a tough matchup in Chicago against the Bears.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail