The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost their fifth game of the season to the Pittsburgh Steelers, falling 26-19 in overtime. The Bucs go to 1-5 with the close loss, and they fall even further down the division ladder.
The Bucs started out strong with a 16-3 lead, but the momentum massively shifted in the third quarter and Tampa Bay fell behind, eventually losing in overtime to Pittsburgh. It was the first overtime game the Bucs played since 2024.
Here are our three overreactions to Tampa Bay's game:
This Bucs Defense Is For Real
The Bucs may have lost the game, but Tampa Bay's defense has been looking strong ever since its game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2. And it showed up again in a big way on Sunday.
The Steelers had just 2.2 yards per attempt in the first half of this game, shutting down Aaron Rodgers completely. The team racked up multiple sacks, including from Miami rookies Rueben Bain Jr. and Keionte Scott, and they were largely able to contain the run game as well.
This Bucs team stifled Pittsburgh at every turn. While the team still needs work and they weren't challenged at all downfield, Tampa Bay's defense deserves a lot of credit on Sunday — and the last few weeks — for being a stout unit.
Unfortunately, the offense did the Bucs no favors, tiring out the defense with frequent three-and-outs. But the Bucs held the Steelers to multiple field goals on the day and did their job, which is encouraging for the team going forward.
The Bucs Really Need a New Punter
It's been tough sledding for Buccaneers punter Riley Dixon. Heading into Week 6, Dixon ranked 33rd of 33 qualifying punters in net yards per punt (37.1).
This game against the Steelers wasn't much better. Dixon averaged just 40.8 yards per punt against the Steelers, putting the Bucs' defense in bad situations throughout the day. It's only a matter of time before it impacts Tampa Bay in a big way going forward, and it arguably did in the loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday.
The Bucs should at least take a look at what else is out there so far — and they should at most make a change going forward this season.
David Walker Should Be Starting
Feels like we say this way too often. Walker has three sacks this year with limited snap time, and he got another on Aaron Rodgers in a big way to stop what could have been a scoring drive for Pittsburgh. He got another late to force the Steelers to kick when the two-minute warning hit.
He also had a nice pressure to get Al-Quadin Muhammad a sack, and he made a tackle for loss to force a Steelers field goal on that same drive. Walker has been a disruptor every time he's been on the field, and it's about time that he gets starting reps in this offense.
So far this year, he's proven he's the best pass rusher on the team. The Bucs should realize that and give him the starting reps he deserves going forward.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on Google