The Steelers' 30-27 victory showed more ingenuity in the offense and how they pulled out the team's first win.
Let's dig deep ...
TWO-MINUTE DRILL
• Where scheme beat team: Randy Fichtner's offense is finding smarter ways for Ben Roethlisberger to distribute the football around the field. A key issue the Steelers have faced in big games is how talented defenses could take away Roethlisberger's favorite receiving options and watch him struggle to find open receivers.
That was not the case against the Buccaneers, where Roethlisberger completed 24 passes on 29 attempts for 303 yards to receiving options not named Antonio Brown. He completed passes to six other receiving options throughout the night, forcing the Buccaneers to cover the whole field.
Covering the field means a defense cannot just lock onto a certain player or aspect of an offense. The Patriots are known for being able to take one player away and that's hurt Roethlisberger in recent big games. But against the Buccaneers, he forced them to honor all his different weapons and took what opportunities were surrendered in the various coverage schemes.
Roethlisberger just has to find where the defense is leaving one of his players isolated in single coverage. It's not easy to do pre-snap, but once identified it makes for a better chance he will react and get the ball out on time.
Take Vance McDonald's touchdown, for example, when Roethlisberger motioned JuJu Smith-Schuster across the formation to leave McDonald as the lone receiving option on his side. That puts the Steelers' receivers all to one side and forces the Buccaneers to have to consider the Steelers' top two receiving threats in Smith-Schuster and Brown.
But McDonald gets to go up against a lone safety, Chris Conte. Being the lone safety on one side of the field means he cannot afford to gamble on underneath routes. Instead, he must stay deeper than McDonald and hope to stop any big plays. Roethlisberger recognized that after the motion and went right to McDonald:
The Steelers have prolific weapons on offense and Fichtner is working to maximize their chances in space to get easier yards for Roethlisberger. This is proven with the team having three of the leading 15 players in yards-after-catch in the NFL this season, and none of them are Brown.
Smith-Schuster has the second most in the NFL with 151, slightly behind Melvin Gordon's 154, with James Conner having the eighth most at 116 and Jesse James having the 13th most with 98. That's no accident either, as the only other team with two players in the top 15 in yards after catch is Washington, and both of theirs are running backs in Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson.
Running backs are expected to get plenty of yards after the catch as they are often targeted closer to the line of scrimmage and given the opportunity to pick up extra ground. But the Steelers are maximizing their opportunities by spreading the ball around the field and putting their playmakers in one-on-one situations to gain more yards.
Smith-Schuster also leads the NFL in first downs gained with 19, which is going to make it difficult for any team to solely focus on the Steelers' top option in Brown.
Roethlisberger took advantage when the Buccaneers left Brown in single coverage against cornerback Brent Grimes with no safety help directly overtop. Look at how the Steelers' spread out the formation and how the Buccaneers have to honor so much space. Because Roethlisberger is connecting with other targets, the Buccaneers have to play more honest coverages and not jump the gun on any single option.
That leaves Grimes alone against a simple quick pass to Brown. Against a one-high safety look, Brown makes Grimes miss and is gone before the middle safety has time to even react:
That's the kind of threat that Fichtner's offense has delivered just three games into the season. Brown may lead in targets with 42 and Smith-Schuster is the clear runner up with 38, but Roethlisberger is distribute his fair share of targets across the board. If defenses start using more two-high safety looks to provide help in stopping both of the Steelers' leading receivers, even more space will open up for James Washington, Conner, James, and especially McDonald.
That's something the Chris Conte's of the world are not looking forward to facing.
• All about the tackling: Missed tackles were a major problem for the Steelers in 2017, as Pro Football Focus revealed with their number-crunching on that team:
Last season, the #Steelers missed a tackle on 16.1% of run plays (31st in NFL).
They added sure tackling veterans this offseason in S Morgan Burnett and LB Jon Bostic, who ranked 1st and 8th respectively at their positions in tackling efficiency. https://t.co/R2sUJejvPY
— PFF PIT Steelers (@PFF_Steelers) July 19, 2018
Because of that, our commitment this season is to keep a close eye on this facet.
Once again, Jon Bostic looks good in tackling metrics, as he led the team with six tackles. Throw in two passes defended and you can see he's fitting in the middle.
T.J. Watt missed two tackles, but for the most part the defense got back on track after struggling last week.
• Top matchups: I picked three top matchups for the Tampa Bay game in our preview this week:
And here are how those matchups played out:
• Steelers' offensive line vs. Buccaneers defensive line: Roethlisberger did get hit nine times during the game and took three sacks, but he often held the ball too long. For the most part, he was given time and space to command the offense. That was the biggest concern coming into this game with both Marcus Gilbert and David DeCastro missing. But the final two runs from James Conner showed exactly what we talked about in the video. Having only two valid defensive tackles makes for a 4-3 front that can get tired in the middle, and the Steelers pounded that tired front late in the game to help seal the deal. Advantage: Steelers.
• Steelers' receivers vs. Buccaneers' cornerbacks: The Steelers' receivers had a very good day with 20 receptions for 200 yards and took advantage of their opportunities in isolated coverages. Even Ryan Switzer got into the act with a receiving touchdown and challenged the Buccaneers to have to cover a talented spread offense. Advantage: Steelers
• Ryan Fitzpatrick's deep ball vs. secondary communication: The communication was much better in this game despite Ryan Fitzpatrick's 411 yards and three touchdowns. They were at least challenging passes and forcing him to fit the ball through tighter passing windows, but they still couldn't restrict this offense that had been living off the deep ball. Advantage: Buccaneers.
Had a big play or a decent game 
Very impressive, multiple big plays
Elite performance
Gave up a big play without redemption 
Total performance was a disappointment
Horrible, inexcusable
QUARTERBACK: A-
Once again the offense put up at least 21 points, albeit all in the first half.
Ben Roethlisberger:
After a rough start of a three-and-out and an interception, Roethlisberger bounced back to lead the offense to three touchdowns and a field goal. He was especially good in the second quarter when he had two of his three touchdown passes and looked to be in complete command of the offense. The problems arose in keeping that command as the offense sputtered at different points. The Steelers' defense forced four consecutive turnovers in the second quarter, but the offense only scored on one on the three possessions that followed, with the defense scoring on an interception return.
The negatives for Roethlisberger were his interception, the zero points scored in the second half, not capitalizing on the defense's turnovers, and only converting three of eleven third downs.
RUNNING BACKS: B
James Conner:
Conner's grade improved because of his play in the fourth quarter. When the Steelers needed a closer on their final drive, they went to Conner and he finished the game with 61 yards on 15 carries and five catches on six targets for 34 yards. He also looked good in pass protection for a third straight week. He's not the superstar that Le'Veon Bell is, but he's not made many miss Bell either.
OFFENSIVE LINE: A-
The Buccaneers' defensive front was looking to feast on the Steelers' offensive line with David DeCastro and Marcus Gilbert out, but the o-line stepped up and gave Roethlisberger plenty of time to work.
Matt Feiler:
Feiler got his second NFL start and had a tall task against DE Vinny Curry. He delivered, only allowing a half sack to Curry. That was the lone hit on Roethlisberger from Curry and a Feiler did a good job fulfilling the 'next man up' philosophy.
Maurkice Pouncey:
Pouncey has a history of struggling against talented defensive tackles, but that did not come to fruition against Gerald McCoy. Not only that, but Pouncey did a great job keeping the offensive line together, despite missing the entire right side. The Buccaneers' defense relies on its defensive front to create chaos, and it was mostly negated.
Ramon Foster:
Foster also played an instrumental role in the offensive line's success in picking up the Buccaneers' pass rush and preventing McCoy from being a factor. Foster also helped pick up the extra rushers.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: A+
This group doesn't stop producing and might be the team's most consistent position.
JuJu Smith-Schuster:
A third straight 100-yard game and Smith-Schuster is proving to be a top playmaker for the team. He's getting open, winning combat catches and developing a real rapport with Roethlisberger. He leads the team in receptions, receiving yards and first downs gained.
Antonio Brown:
Brown saw the benefit of Roethlisberger's distribution on his 27-yard touchdown and ripped the Buccaneers' secondary. Brent Grimes was in single coverage, and even when the safety came to help, nobody could lay a hand on Brown. He's still getting open on plenty of plays, and his lack of numbers are only because Roethlisberger is building connections with other receivers that are getting open while teams focus on Brown.
Vance McDonald:
His 75-yard touchdown is a highlight of the year, but it's a perfect example of why the Steelers have kept McDonald around despite his injuries. He's an athletic monster and that stiff-arm of Chris Conte was masterful. When teams focus on trying to stop Brown and Smith-Schuster and the ground game, McDonald is going to get great matchup opportunities.
DEFENSIVE LINE: C+
Despite the pressure from the defense all game, the defensive line was not the dominant presence that caused it. Their biggest contribution was occupying gaps against the run.
Stephon Tuitt:
Another game goes by without enough noise made by Tuitt, with two tackles and three quarterback hits. He did apply some pressure, but he's not been the player that's supposed to take over games.
Dan McCullers:
Dan McCullers only had 12 snaps, but he sure made his presence felt. Seems like Karl Dunbar has gotten McCullers to improve in recent weeks as his pressure up the middle contributed to Bud Dupree's interception.
Watch the drive from McCullers right through the center and how he uses his hands to establish leverage while following through with his feet. Eventually his size makes him too much of a problem and Fitzpatrick makes a poor throw:
LINEBACKERS: B
After a rough game against the Chiefs, the linebackers bounced back to lead the charge for the defense in the first half.
Jon Bostic:
Six tackles, two for loss, a sack and two passes defended, one of which resulted in a red zone interception. Bostic showed why he was signed in free agency by being disciplined against the run and athletic enough against the pass to challenge multiple throws. He's nothing like Ryan Shazier, but he's been a good role player in the middle.
Bud Dupree:
Dupree had good numbers with three tackles, a sack, three quarterback hits and an interception returned for a touchdown. His sack helped push back the Buccaneers' opening drive of the second half to force a field goal. But he also did a good job setting the edge against the run. He drew a holding penalty from Ryan Jenson in a drive that later would result in an interception.
SECONDARY: B-
Though they still gave up three passing touchdowns, the return of Joe Haden brought a much needed boost to a group that utterly failed against the Chiefs.
Joe Haden:
Haden's three passes defended helped take away his side of the field for most of the game. He saved a touchdown with a perfectly timed swipe over the back shoulder of Chris Godwin, and swatted away a key pass on the Buccaneers' final drive. He's clearly the best defensive back of this group and had a huge game.
Artie Burns:
Burns did bounce back from his awful showing against the Chiefs, but he still got beat on two deep passes by Mike Evans. His forced fumble and pass breakup showed good resilience after Coty Sensabaugh was given the start, but he still has to be a better cover corner.
Here's a play that highlights both his strengths and weaknesses all in one route. Watch how Burns is able to stay in position and keep running with Evans to stay between him and the ball. The initial positioning is what you want from a cornerback so he can make a play on the ball. But Burns misplays his spot by clinging to Evans too early and eventually loses him as the ball comes down:
If teams know they can victimize Burns like this, the defense is going to have to dedicate more safety help his way.
Coty Sensabaugh:
Given the start with a chance to show he's more than a last option at cornerback, Sensabaugh got beat way too often. At some points it looked like he was just another body in coverage and not an active defender that would make a difference. His strength in the past had been in the slot, but the way Godwin shook him off in the end zone for a fourth quarter touchdown did not show the agile player the Steelers expected to see.
THE ROAD AHEAD
The Steelers' offense has the second most yards gained in the league with 1360, with the Buccaneers just ahead at 1420. But that will get put to the test against the Ravens next week as they are the NFL's stingiest defense in yards — only 819 allowed.
Despite missing their best cornerback in Jimmy Smith, the Ravens have the NFL's best pass defense as they've allowed only 169.3 yards per game through Week 3. The Steelers have the second most passing yards per game with 363.3.
Fichtner's offense has maximized Roethlisberger's chances to gain yards by throwing to receivers and letting them rack up big yards after the catch by putting pressure on opponents to tackle in the open field, but the Ravens have consistently been a solid defense at tackling the ball.
Something has to give.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers at Buccaneers, Tampa Bay, Sept. 24, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS