Can Steelers stop Bucs’ passing game?
MEMORABLE SERIES MOMENT
Steelers 17, Buccaneers 7
Oct. 21, 2001, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
Tony Dungy had the woebeggone Bucs in the playoffs three of four years when they hosted the Steelers early in 2001. It was Mike Tomlin’s first year as Dungy’s DBs coach and perhaps he can take credit for holding Kordell Stewart to 100 yards passing and two interceptions by Ronde Barber. But no one could stop Jerome Bettis, who put the Steelers on the scoreboard with a 32-yard halfback option pass to tight end Jerame Tuman for a touchdown, and then ran 46 yards through Warren Sapp for another touchdown in the third quarter. The Steelers led 17-0 before the shell-shocked Brad Johnson聽— sacked 10 times (four by Joey Porter and three by Kimo von Oelhoffen)聽— threw a touchdown pass with 28 seconds remaining. After the game, Steelers safety Lee Flowers called the Bucs “paper champions.” Perhaps it’s the 0-1-1 Steelers going to Tampa Bay (2-0) as the paper champions this season.
TALE OF THE TAPE
“When Tampa Bay pass-rushes, they don’t have the strength and the mass so they run twists with their linebackers and defensive linemen and catch guards looking the other way, kind of blind-siding. It’s something I haven’t seen other teams do. Getting hit when your head’s turned, you have to rebound quickly, so as a guard you have to sit heavy and make sure you’re not caught with your eyes watching the defensive linemen when a linebacker’s coming from off (the line).” — Steelers Radio analyst Craig Wolfley.
TOP QUESTION
Can the Steelers stop the Bucs’ passing game?
Coming into the weekend, only one QB had thrown more TD passes this season than Ryan Fitzpatrick, and that guy, Patrick Mahomes, played the Steelers last week. The Steelers, in spite of playing five of their nine quarters against Tyrod Taylor (benched with a 5.5 yards-per-attempt average), allow 7.7 yards per attempt (20th) and a ghastly 13.8 yards per completion (30th). The Bucs are first in yards per attempt (13.4) and first in yards per completion (17.1), the key stats of any pass attack or defense.
THREE QUESTIONS: With LG RAMON FOSTER
Q: David DeCastro and Marcus Gilbert are doubtful with injuries. Are you confident the line will be functional without them?
RF: “Absolutely.”
Q: Even you’ve been hurting. What if it’s two or even three guys out?
RF: “We’ll be fine. We’ve got guys who’ve been in the system for a long time. If those guys have to play, they know they’ve got to respond accordingly, because if you don’t, you may never get another opportunity. It’s on a big stage. Hey, we were dogged for awhile for not being any good, forcing our quarterback into retirement, so us guys have taught those guys, ‘Look, we’re not going back to those days.’ So if somebody else is in, we’ll be OK. Have you seen in the past one backup who’s done bad in the last few years?”
Q: Is that due to Mike Munchak? Or all of you veterans?
RF: “It’s Munch and everybody. That’s the culture that we put in that room. We don’t want to be nobody’s whipping boys, because we were that for awhile.”
GAME BREAKDOWN
What to look for from the Steelers tonight at Raymond James Stadium:
ON OFFENSE
For starters, the O-line is banged up. Expect Matt Feiler to start at right tackle and B.J. Finney to start at right guard in place of injured starters. Rookie Chukwuma Okorafor continues his role as a tight end in the jumbo package, and big Zach Banner (6-8, 360), a former 5-star USC recruit and 2017 fourth-round draft pick by Indianapolis, may have to play. The Steelers are hopeful Munchak can work his magic with this Max Starks-type of tackle. Everyone else on offense healthy, including James Washington. The hope is the rookie can develop quickly enough to provide a legitimate third option at wide receiver.
ON DEFENSE
Tomlin came down hard on the defensive backs this practice week, and Artie Burns may not have survived. He was replaced Saturday by Coty Sensabaugh. Was it a threat? Or was it a benching? Mel Blount and Ike Taylor, just to name two, cite benchings early in their careers for propelling them to the next level as cornerbacks. Either way, the Steelers will have their hands full with speedster DeSean Jackson (30.6 yards per catch, 3 TDs) and 6-5, 231-pound Mike Evans (13.5 ypc., 2 TDs), not to mention Penn State’s Chris Godwin and tight end O.J. Howard. The Steelers will use backup safety Nat Berhe (expected replacement for injured Morgan Burnett at dime linebacker) to help in coverage, since the top Tampa rusher, Peyton Barber, averages only 2.6 yards per carry.
PREDICTION
The Steelers have the emotional edge. Pittsburgh hasn’t been a comfortable place for them this week following the Mahomes shredding. They’ve also had great success against Fitzpatrick聽— renamed Fitz-magic in Tampa聽— in the past. The Steelers have won all five games against Fitzpatrick (Cincinnati 2, Buffalo, Houston, New York Jets), with a passer rating of 79.9. But the Bucs are home underdogs on Monday night and have plenty of emotion working for them as well. Until the Steelers show up defensively, I have to go with … Bucs, 33-31.
BY THE NUMBERS
4: Number of sacks by Tampa Bay, with no one having more than one. This in spite of a 97 opposing dropbacks, for a sack percentage of 4 percent. The Steelers sack quarterbacks 11 percent of the time.
8.3: Yards per attempt allowed by the Bucs, which is worse than the Steelers’ 7.7 ypa allowed. However, the Bucs allow 10.7 yards per completion, compared to the Steelers’ horrific 13.8. It means the Bucs keep the ball in front of them. Tomlin couldn’t stress that enough this week to his cornerbacks.
45: Monday Night Football wins by the Steelers to rank third behind the San Francisco 49ers (48) and Dallas Cowboys (46).
117: Games Antonio Brown needed for his 750th catch last Sunday. He broke the record for fewest games to the milestone previously held by Marvin Harrison (121).
2002: Year these teams played their only other game on a Monday night. The Steelers were the last team to defeat the Bucs that championship season.
DOWNLOADS
* Last season, cornerback Joe Haden missed 5.75 games with a fractured fibula. The Steelers’ allowed seven touchdown passes of 30 yards or longer and a passer rating of 94.5 in those 5.75 games. With Haden, the Steelers allowed nine passing touchdowns total, only two of 30 yards or longer, and a passer rating of 74.1 in 10.25 games. Haden is back after missing the loss to Kansas City with a tight hamstring. “I like it when he’s in there, that’s for sure,” said defensive coordinator Keith Butler. “Joe’s a good football player. We can’t always play zone coverages all of the time. We’ve got to be able to play man coverage. He gives us that ability a little bit. We just have to be able to play man a little bit more.”
* After two games, the core of the Steelers’ special teams has emerged in the names of Anthony Chickillo, Roosevelt Nix, Jordan Dangerfield, L.J. Fort and Tyler Matakevich. Chickillo has 53 of the 71 snaps, and the other four have each played 52 snaps. The Steelers have allowed 46 yards on three punt returns, thanks to a 48-yard return through Nix’s missed tackle of the upback last Sunday. They’re fourth in kickoff return average allowed at 15.3 per. Adam Humphries is Tampa Bay’s primary return man, with career averages of 9.2 per punt and 10.1 per kickoff.
* The Bucs are still without suspended QB Jameis Winston for another game, and they’re also without any backup defensive tackles after Beau Allen (foot) and first-round pick Vita Vea (calf) have been ruled out. The Bucs only have starters Gerald McCoy and Jerel Worthy available, with backup end Will Gholston slated for some snaps inside.
* Tampa Bay is first in average passing yards per game and 27th in average rushing yards, so an imbalanced offense hasn’t hurt. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken was asked this week what would happen when teams say, “You’re not going to throw it over our heads any more?” Monken said, “Then that’ll help our run game.”
* Monken was one of the first in college football to install RPOs when he took over the Oklahoma State offense in 2011. The Cowboys went 12-1 with Monken as coordinator, and Brandon Weeden became a first-round draft pick the following spring. Monken became head coach of winless Southern Mississippi in 2013 and left three years later with a 9-5 record. He became the OC/WRs coach at Tampa Bay in 2016.
PARTING SHOT
“Give us a shot. The story’s not over. We’re just past Game 2 and we’re already ready to fire everybody?” — Cameron Heyward.