You couldn’t have asked for a better start from the Pittsburgh Steelers in the preseason. Pittsburgh traveled to Tampa to take on the Buccaneers and came out with a 27-17 win after a very complete showing in all three phases.
Offensively, quarterback Kenny Pickett only played one drive but he was masterful. Pickett went 6-for-7 for 70 passing yards and a sweet 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver George Pickens. The leading passer was Mason Rudolph who finished with 132 passing yards. 67 of those went to speedy wide receiver Calvin Austin III on his touchdown catch.
On defense, the Steelers used a ton of players, rotating guys in and out, keeping the defense fresh and the Bucs off balance. Rookie edge rusher Nick Herbig was a standout with 1.5 sacks and backup cornerback James Pierre led the team with 10 tackles. Four different Steelers accounted for at least .5 sacks on the night.
The Steelers played all backups on special teams. Kicker B.T. Potter was perfect on the night. He hight both of his field-goal tries and all three of his extra-point opportunities. Punter Braden Mann punted six times and finished with a 45.7 average. He put two inside the 20.
