In addition to the picks by Grier and McCollum, CB Kindle Vildor turned back a Pittsburgh scoring threat in the second quarter with a red zone interception as the Bucs' secondary continued its trend of repeatedly getting hands on the football. After breaking up two passes in his NFL debut a week earlier, rookie CB Jacob Parrish had another strong outing with another pass defensed, a tackle for loss and three stops. Vildor also added a second pass defensed. The Bucs have produced six interceptions through their first two preseason games. Rookie LBs Nick Jackson and John Bullock each had sacks – the second in two games for Jackson – as did second-year OLB Chris Braswell.
"Turnovers win games," said Bowles. "That last one got us the ballgame and obviously we stopped two drives with the other two. We can't turn it over and that put them back in the ballgame but three interceptions two games in a row is a plus. Got to keep getting them."
Trask only threw 10 passes, completing three of them for 19 yards. Bazelak was 14 of 18 for 106 yards. For the second week in a row, the Bucs did not throw an interception, though TE Tanner Taula lost a fumble and rookie WR Tez Johnson muffed a punt in the second half. Before that mistake, Johnson returned his first NFL punt for a 34-yard gain, and he also caught four passes for 24 yards in his professional debut. WRs Sterling Shepard and Garrett Greene tied for the team lead with three catches each.
Bowles said Johnson's turnover, in which he first let a punt hit the ground and pass him on the bounce before trying to grab it, was a teaching moment for the seventh-round rookie.
"The muffed punt I think is a good learning experience for him as a rookie," said Bowles. "You've got to take care of the ball and you've got to manage the game back there. That's one of the prime responsibilities of a punt returner, so it was a very good lesson for him. He'll get better going forward, but I thought he played fast and I thought he played hard."
The Buccaneers moved to 2-0 on the preseason with their win. They will finish up their August slate next Saturday night with a home game against the Buffalo Bills.
The Bucs got the ball first and started at their own 25 after a 23-yard kickoff return by Sean Tucker. Irving broke out of a tackle on a first-down carry and tried to reverse field but ended up losing a yard. After a false start penalty, Irving's next run was stopped for just one yard, and while Bridgewater impressively evaded a near-sack and scrambled right to get off a pass to Sterling Shepard, it was far short of a first down. The resulting punt by Riley Dixon went 42 yards and was returned to the Steelers' 36.
S Christian Izien tripped up RB Kenneth Gainwell on an outlet pass to limit the Steelers' first play to two yards, and McCollum made sure the drive lasted only one more play. QB Mason Rudolph tried to throw a deep slant to WR Roman Wilson but McCollum cut in front of the receiver and picked off the pass, returning the ball 12 yards to Pittsburgh's 48.
Irving again found no room to run on first down and Bridgewater's attempted pass to wide-open TE Cade Otton was unfortunately deflected at the line. On third-and-eight, Bridgewater found McMillan down the right hashes for a gain of 18. McMillan leaped high for the catch and was flipped in midair by CB Joey Porter Jr., landing on his head and neck. McMillan was understandably shaken up on the play took several minutes to get to his feet, but he walked off the field on his own power. After a three-yard Irving run and an incompletion, Bridgewater's third-down pass to Otton was too hot to handle and the Bucs settled for Chase McLaughlin's 43-yard field goal try. He nailed it, but CB D'Shawn Jamison ran into him after the kickoff and was assessed a personal foul. That made it first down at the Pittsburgh 12, but Irving's next run resulted in a three-yard loss. On the next play, the Bucs lined Irving up wide to the right and he simply beat LB Payton Wilson off the line and ran a fly, hauling in Bridgewater's 15-yard pass for a touchdown and the game's first points.
The Bucs' kickoff coverage team stopped RB Kaleb Johnson at the Steelers' 23, and DL Logan Hall dropped RB Gainwell after a one-yard gain on first down. LB Deion Jones did the same on second down and Rudolph had to scramble after getting pressure up the middle on third down. OLB Yaya Diaby stopped Rudolph a yard short of the sticks, leading to a punt, and rookie WR Tez Johnson broke free for a 34-yard return to the Bucs' 42.