PLAYER NOTES
–WR DeSean Jackson leads the NFL in receiving yards with 275 yards. His three touchdowns matches his 2017 total.
–CB Brent Grimes has missed the first two games with a groin injury. He has not practiced since Sept. 6. He has been replaced by CB Ryan Smith.
–DT Vita Vea, the Bucs’ first-round pick from Washington, has not practiced since the first week of August when he suffered a calf injury on the first day the team was in pads.
–WR Chris Godwin has a touchdown reception in each of his past three games, dating to Week 17 vs. New Orleans in 2017.
–TE Cameron Brate was not targeted with a pass in the win against the Eagles. He does not have a reception this season after finishing with 48 a year ago.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: WR Mike Evans is off to one of the best starts of his career. In two games, he has been targeted 19 times and has 17 receptions for 230 yards and two touchdowns. That includes a 50-yard touchdown reception in the season opener against the Saints. Evans is typically double-teamed, but for some reason has seen a lot of man coverage and he’s winning. His only mistake is a lost fumble vs. the Eagles.
GAME PLAN: It’s no secret the Bucs want to throw the football downfield. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken has been very aggressive, especially early in games, trying to get the ball to DeSean Jackson. “He’s been taking the top off of defenses for a decade,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. At some point, the Bucs will be forced to take the long route to the end zone.
While they haven’t had to establish a running game after establishing a big lead in each game, that may change on Monday night. Running back Peyton Barber rushed 16 times for only 22 yards vs. the Eagles last week. On the season, Barber is averaging only 2.6 yards per carry. The problem, according to head coach Dirk Koetter, has been some mental errors on the offensive line.
Defensively, the Bucs face a huge challenge against quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Tampa Bay was without both starting cornerbacks. Brent Grimes has missed two games with a groin injury and Vernon Hargreaves is on injured reserve with a shoulder injury he suffered in the season opener. That’s put some pressure on rookie cornerbacks Carlton Davis and M.J. Stewart. The Bucs could also be without safety Chris Conte, which would force rookie Jordan Whitehead in the lineup.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Steelers RB James Conner vs. Bucs LB Kwon Alexander. Conner has done a very credible job filling in for Le’Veon Bell, who is unsigned. Conner rushed 31 times for 135 yards in a season-opening tie vs. the Cleveland Browns. Alexander is coming off a big game vs. the Eagles where he had a sack, a forced fumble and seven tackles.
–Steelers LB T.J. Watt vs. Bucs LT Donovan Smith. Watt had three sacks in the season opener at Cleveland. Smith will make his 51st consecutive straight start.
