It came down to the wire, but the Bucs secured the win after a rough second half against the Steelers on the road.
The Bucs had a very flashy first half led by the debut of Teddy Bridgewater and some touchdown catches by Emeka Egbuka and Bucky Irving. The defense was making plays, forcing turnovers, and then the second half happened. The change in team units caused the team to lose momentum, and the Steelers picked up that baton and ran with it.
It was a unique performance from the Bucs, so it makes getting our red pen out to grade a tall task. Here is our best effort.
Quarterbacks
Grade: B
Teddy Bridgewater made his debut with the Bucs, and it was well above expectations. He missed some throws, but he was just missing them. He took a lot of what the defense was giving him, and the result was two beautiful touchdown throws, with one being to Bucky Irving and one to Emeka Egbuka. On the flip side, once he was taken out of the game, the offense came to a halt, almost under the direction of Kyle Trask.
Running Backs
Grade: C-
The receiving work of Bucky Irving is doing a lot of heavy lifting with this grade, or else it would be worse. This group could not get much going on the ground against the Steelers’ defensive front seven. The offensive line didn’t help, but they lacked playmaking outside of the receiving touchdown by Irving.
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
Grade: B+
The wide receivers and tight ends were getting open consistently all night against the Steelers’ secondary. Some missed throws caused plays not to be made, but the tight ends had a hard time blocking at times, which brings this grade down. The star of the night was once again Emeka Egbuka, who caught his first NFL touchdown and showcased concentration and body control in doing so.
Offensive Line
Grade: C+
The offensive line had a rough start to the night with Charlie Heck getting a penalty called on him and being beaten badly for a sack. From there, the rest of the night didn’t go well for him or many others on the line. The Steelers were able to generate pressure, plug running lanes, and never let the offense get comfortable or in a rhythm.
Defensive Line
Grade: B-
The Bucs’ defensive front showed up to get after the quarterback, but not stop the run. They gave up a whopping 140 yards on the ground, and it didn’t give the linebackers much help in that department. They lacked their main run stuffers, but the depth of this group is going to prove vital as the season rolls on and they let the defense down on Saturday.
Linebackers
Grade: B+
While the linebackers didn’t help stop the run, they were able to tally four sacks as a group, which earns them the higher grade. Once again, Nick Jackson and John Bullock came through for the Bucs and made plays, and they are breathing life into the depth of the linebacker room.
Secondary
Grade: A-
Three interceptions for the second straight preseason game, the secondary is humming. They are tied for the lead in interceptions with six during the preseason as a team, all while Antoine Winfield Jr. is not playing. Jacob Parrish didn’t have an interception, but he is playing like he is going to be a steal for the team in the third round. Christian Izien is playing like an enforcer that the team needs on the back end, and Zyon McCollum is showing some ball skills now.
Todd Bowles wanted more turnovers to be forced, and through two preseason games, he has gotten that from his defense.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Report card grades from the Buccaneers dominant win over the Steelers
Reporting by Andrew Harbaugh, Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
