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The lack of a killer instinct has killed the Buc season.
For three quarters, Tampa Bay appeared in complete control Sunday against Pittsburgh. You could tell because those tens of thousands of Steeler fans in the crowd were forced to sit on their Terrible Towels.
But a 16-3 lead vanished amid a flurry of Aaron Rodgers completions and the Bucs ended up on the wrong end of a 26-19 overtime setback that dropped them to 1-5.
Any momentum Tampa Bay may have carried over from the stunning victory in Dallas withered as undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels threw a pair of interceptions and was sacked five times.
The biggest mistake was Jamel Dean’s pick on a pass intended for Emeka Egbuka that set up a go-ahead field goal with 81 seconds remaining in regulation. The Bucs sent the game into OT on Chase McLaughlin’s fourth FG of the game.
On the opening possession of OT, Rodgers guided Pittsburgh 70 yards for the winning score, a 6-yard toss to rookie Germie Bernard. The key snap on the 12-play drive was a 16-yard catch by D.K. Metcalf over the middle on 3rd-and-13.
Bernard and Metcalf each had 11 catches as Rodgers threw 49 times. It was Metcalf, the former Seattle standout, who triggered Pittsburgh’s late comeback with nine receptions after the third quarter alone. A Buc defense that had Rodgers completely under wraps softened in the late stages.
Tampa Bay fans saw the same disturbing act in Week 2 when the Bucs frittered away a 10-point lead at home against Cleveland.
At this point, even Baker Mayfield detractors can’t muster a sensible argument to keep him sidelined once he is healed from a dislocated right thumb. Daniels averaged less than four yards per pass attempt and Tampa Bay was limited to 224 total yards.
The Bucs have now dropped four consecutive home games for the first time in a decade. They are already three games behind the Panthers in the loss column as they prepare for a weekend trip to Charlotte. After the bitter loss, Todd Bowles told his demoralized team the Bucs no longer have any margin for error.
Speaking of errors, the Bucs have scored one first-quarter TD through six games.
One.
Coming off a spectacular evening in Big D, Bucky Irving couldn’t get going, averaging only 2.4 yards per carry. Despite a very quiet game by T.J. Watt, the Steelers applied constant pressure against Daniels, who showed enough in a 3-game stint to convince the Bucs he is a viable backup to Mayfield.
Buc supporters are accustomed to seeing lots of fans in the stands wearing visitor’s uniforms, but Sunday’s massive turnout by Steeler fans was jarring. “You would have thought we were the home team,” Dean told me before sprinting into a jubilant locker room.
With many Tampa Bay fans already checked out, Bowles must ensure his players keep their focus in a lost season. The Bucs would have to go 8-3 the rest of the way just to avoid a second consecutive losing year.
David Walker was a bright spot with his third and fourth sacks of the season.
Meanwhile, the Steelers emerged with an improbable victory to improve to 4-2.
“Anytime you’ve got No. 8 (Rodgers) on your side and a defense like ours, you’ve got a chance,” said Watt. “And when you have a lockdown corner like Dean, it really helps.”
Here’s how the Steelers rallied for an improbable victory and ushered in Mayfield’s likely return Sunday against the pesky Panthers:
* David Walker keeps making plays in limited action. His two takedowns of Rodgers gives him four sacks on the season. No other Buc has more than one. If Walker isn’t on the field for virtually every passing down by the opposition, there ought to be an investigation.
* Egbuka and Godwin certainly didn’t help Daniels’ cause with key drops. Egbuka was targeted 16 times but latched onto only seven passes for 48 yards. He did provide Tampa Bay’s lone TD with a 2-yard reception that put the Bucs ahead 10-0.
* Daniels continued to showcase his mobility with 39 yards on four scrambles, but he looks like a rookie when it comes to throws toward the sideline. Daron Bland almost registered a pick-6 against Daniels in Dallas and Dean pounced on a bad throw Sunday.
Playcaller Zac Robinson
* This game was hardly an offensive masterpiece. Despite 76 snaps, Pittsburgh could not generate one pass or run that topped 19 yards. Meanwhile, the Bucs averaged only 3.1 yards per snap. Mayfield can’t get back soon enough.
* Tampa Bay’s poor clock management toward the end of the opening half paved the way for a Pittsburgh field goal that made it 13-3, giving the Steelers some life. But instead of celebrating, Mike McCarthy headed to the blue tent for treatment after someone stepped on his ankle.
* McLaughlin, who hasn’t missed a FG in 14 attempts, ranks as Tampa Bay’s best player through six games. That’s not good. His 53-yarder that tied the score with 8 seconds remaining in regulation was a no-doubt kick set up by a 13-yard catch by rookie Ted Hurst. Amidst all the misery, No. 4 is a gem.
* Besides his late fourth-quarter interception, Dean posted four tackles and an ungodly six pass breakups. At the age of 30, the former Buc is playing with supreme confidence.
* Bernard wasn’t the only Pittsburgh rookie who burned the Bucs on Sunday. Third-round pick Daylen Everette picked off a pass intended for Egbuka early in the fourth quarter. Guess where the throw was headed? You got it … the sideline.
* Veteran Steelers DB Jalen Ramsey is usually lauded for sticky coverage, but he hurt the Bucs in other ways with 10 tackles, two sacks and four tackles for loss. Tampa Bay’s blitz pickup continues to struggle.
* Heading into their first division matchup, the Bucs are saddled with the worst record in the NFC. Even more alarming, the 1-5 getaway comes amid four home games early in the schedule. Road matchups against the Panthers, Bears and Lions are dead ahead in the next month, with the NFL trade deadline looming Nov. 10. Dealing some veterans for extra draft capital seems to be the wise course of action.