Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card in Win Over The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Pittsburgh Steelers once again had a dominating defensive performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and found some offensive firepower in the process.
Charlie Batch threw three touchdown passes, two to Mike Wallace, en route to an impressive 38-13 victory over the previously undefeated Buccaneers.
In addition to the offensive outburst, a major factor in Sundayโs victory was once again the performance of Pittsburghโs defense, who only allowed one touchdown while many of their backups were on the field.
The win gives the Steelers their first 3-0 start since 2007 and sets up an important week four showdown with the Baltimore Ravens next week at Heinz Field.
Quarterback โ A-
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With a veteran quarterback in the lineup, the Steelers were able to open up their offense for the first time this season and it paid off in a big way.
After an interception on his first pass of the game, Batch went on to finish 12 for 17 for 186 yards and three touchdowns.
Batch completed touchdown passes of 46-yards and 41-yards pass to Mike Wallace and connected with Hines Ward right before the half on a nine yard score.
Though he is not as mobile as Dennis Dixon, Batch showed plenty of mobility today, running for 26 yards on five carries, including a 24-yard scamper to pick up a first down.
Batch had a tremendous amount of poise in the pocket and was able to step up and fire darts all over the field.
The threat of the downfield pass also helped out in the running game.
Pittsburghโs offense put 28 points on the board in the first half, putting the game away early and much of their success was a result of Batchโs play.
Season GPA: 2.03
Running Back โ A
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Rashard Mendenhall had a great game, finishing with 143 yards on 19 carries and added a touchdown.
Mendenhall had a long run of 34-yards for the day, but nearly broke two or three for touchdowns.
He showed an incredible burst against Tampa Bay and displayed his power on his three-yard touchdown run.
Isaac Redman contributed another 31 yards on six carries as the team rushed for 201 yards with an average of 6.3 yards per carry.
The only downside of the ground game Sunday was one failed fourth and short attempt in which the team had to hurry the play and once again Mewelde Moore looked slow and ineffective.
Regardless, the Steelers were able to sustain a ground attack and they will need to carry this momentum back to Pittsburgh when they face Baltimore next week.
Season GPA: 3.47
Wide Receivers โ A
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Pittsburgh finally unleashed Mike Wallace, hitting him with two long touchdown passes as he finished with 100 yards on only three receptions.
Ward caught his first touchdown pass of the year on a nine yard strike from Batch.
Antwaan Randle El made a nice catch on a third down that helped the Steelers sustain a drive.
Until Ben Roethlisberger returns, Steelers receivers will have only a few opportunities per game and they will have to make the most of them.
They did just that against the Buccaneers.
Season GPA: 3.23
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Tight Ends โ A-
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Heath Miller only had two receptions for 25 yards, but Batch connected with him on a beautiful post route for 21-yards.
David Johnson had a decent day blocking for Mendenhall and Matt Spaeth was a non-factor today.
Overall, the blocking of the tight ends was solid as there were no major signs of pressure from Tampa Bayโs defense.
They did a good job assisting the offensive line.
Season GPA: 3.13
Offensive Line โ A
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Pittsburghโs offensive line had their best performance of the season.
They did not allow a sack and paved the way for the teamโs 201 rushing yards.
Maurkice Pouncey once again was a star on the line, opening up huge holes and dominating his opposition.
Pittsburgh welcomed back Max Starks, who pancaked several defensive linemen and showed no signs of an ankle injury.
Chris Kemoeatu was a force in the ground game and Doug Legursky did an adequate job of replacing Trai Essex.
With the extreme heat once again, Pittsburgh rotated linemen in and out of the game. Both Jonathan Scott and Ramon Foster saw plenty of action.
Foster had an outstanding game, forcing Tampa Bay defenders out of the way at every opportunity available.
Sundayโs performance was a positive sign that the unit is beginning to come together.
Season GPA: 2.80
Defensive Line โ A-
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Pittsburghโs defense held Tampa Bay to 75-yards rushing for only 3.6 yards per attempt.
Despite the solid performance, it was not as dominating as it was last week in Tennessee.
At times the defensive line got pushed off the ball. However, they settled down at the half and became much more physical in the third quarter.
Ziggy Hood had a tipped pass and nearly intercepted it and Nick Eason picked up a sack.
The big play of the day, though, was Brett Keisel's first career interception that he returned 79-yards for a touchdown that sealed the game for the Steelers.
Season GPA: 3.90
Linebackers โ B+
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The Steelers linebackers have set a high standard for themselves.
They did not perform up to their high level at all times Sunday.
Tackling was sloppy for the first time this season and neither James Harrison nor LaMarr Woodley had a sack.
However, both played well as Harrison was disruptive rushing the passer and Woodley nearly had an interception.
Lawrence Timmons finished with a sack and rookie Jason Worilds also had a sack, his first.
Backups Keyaron Fox, Larry Foote, and Stevenson Sylvester all saw playing time in the second half when the game was out of reach.
Season GPA: 3.67
Defensive Backs โ B+
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Tampa Bay was able to move the ball through the air against the Steelers, completing 26 passes, but nothing that did significant damage.
Bryant McFadden had a very strong game in pass defense, though he was only credited with one pass defensed.
William Gay did a nice job tackling, stopping several potentially long games.
Ike Taylor was in position to make an easy interception, but in typical fashion dropped the ball.
Troy Polamalu was a force in the run game and Ryan Clark recovered a fumble.
Season GPA: 3.33
Special Teams โ A-
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The return game fell short today as the team averaged only 21-yards on three kick returns and Randle El had one punt return for eight yards.
The coverage units did a solid job, preventing against any big returns.
Jeff Reed had his third touchback of the season and converted on his only field goal attempt and Daniel Sepulveda once again proved to be a valuable asset in the battle of field position, with a 62-yard punt.
Season GPA: 3.47
Coaching โ A-
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There was some talk that this was going to be a โtrap gameโ for the Steelers.
They had none of that.
Mike Tomlin had his team prepared to battle the previously undefeated Buccaneers.
The only questionable call was when the Steelers went for it on a fourth and short just inside the Buccaneers zone when leading by more than 20. The other questionable call goes all the way back to camp and why Batch did not get a chance to earn the starting job.
Beyond that, the Steelers had a balanced offensive attack and once again had a shut down defensive performance.
For the second straight week, the Steelers used a heavy rotation along the lines to keep their linemen fresh
Sitting at 3-0 on top of the AFC North, Pittsburgh has put themselves in a great position in this early part of the season and they are playing like one of the elite teams in the league.
Season GPA: 3.23
Study Up: What Must Improve
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Pittsburgh cannot let their tackling slip as it showed against Tampa Bay.
The first half tackling was eerily reminiscent of last year when the team struggled.
However, it was much improved in the second half and it is unlikely it will become a problem.
The defense just has to keep playing at a high level.
Offensively, the Steelers will look to build upon this past weekโs performance where they had a balance of run and pass.
They will need that balance against the rival Ravens. Most experts had the Steelers no better than 2-2 to start the season, but now at 3-0, Pittsburgh has a great opportunity to go undefeated while defeating a divisional rival in the process.
If they can win the turnover battle and maintain their effectiveness on the ground, Batch will once again be able to open things up through the air and Pittsburgh could be entering the bye week with four straight wins.
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