What The Bucs?
- Updated: October 1, 2014
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored a touchdown with seven seconds left Sunday to upset the Steelers, 27-24, at Heinz Field.
Quarterback Mike Glennon threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson for the winner. The Steelers looked as though they were on their way to winning when they stopped a late drive by the Buccaneers at the 14 with 1:44 to go.
But their offense could not make a first down and had to punt it back. Brad Wing shanked a punt that carried just 29 yards and Tampa Bay took over at the Steelers 46 with 40 seconds left and no timeouts.
On second down, Glennon threw a 41-yard pass to Louis Murphy to the 5 with 15 seconds left. After a spike to stop the clock and an incomplete pass, Glennon connected with Jackson on the next play to win it.
The Buccaneers, who once led, 10-0, fell behind the Steelers, 24-17. They crept within 24-20 when Patrick Murray kicked a 27-yard field goal with 11:37 left in the game. The loss left the Steelers record at 2-2; Tampa Bay is 1-3.
The Steelers broke a 17-17 tie to take a 24-17 lead in a back-and-forth game when Ben Roethlisberger threw his third touchdown pass of the game, 5 yards to Heath Miller midway through the third quarter. It capped an 80-yard drive in which Roethlisberger used the no-huddle often.
Tampa Bay had tied the score, 17-17, on Doug Martin’s 3-yard run around left end early in the second half. Glennon completed two crucial passes on that 80-yard drive — an 18-yarder to Jackson on third-and-10, and a 40-yarder to rookie Mike Evans to the 3.
The Steelers led the Buccaneers, 17-10, at halftime.
Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown hooked up for their second touchdown pass of the first half as the Steelers took their first lead, 17-10, with 4:58 left in the second quarter.
Roethlisberger, operating out of the no-huddle, led his team on a 93-yard drive. Brown caught the 27-yard scoring pass in the end zone after giving rookie cornerback Alterraun Verner a little push in the back.
Shaun Suisham missed a 50-yard field goal wide to the right as time expired. It ended a streak of 24 consecutive field goals made by Suisham.
Roethlisberger threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Brown as the Steelers tied the score, 10-10, after one quarter.
Brown caught a 27-yard pass to give the Steelers a first down at the 8 but a penalty and a loss put them back to a third down at the 11. From there, Roethlisberger rifled a throw in the middle of the end zone to Brown, who scored his fourth touchdown this season.
It was an ugly start for the Steelers as Tampa Bay took a quick 10-0 lead.
Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, playing with a broken hand, beat guard Cody Wallace inside to sack Roethlisberger on second down back to the 14. Next, defensive end Michael Johnson went untouched from the Steelers left, Le’Veon Bell missed picking him up and he sacked Roethlisberger, who fumbled at the 9, where Tampa Bay recovered.
Two plays later, Glennon threw a fade pass to 6-foot-5 Evans, who caught it easily over Cortez Allen in the right side of the end zone for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
A poor punt and a 15-yard facemask penalty against Cam Thomas helped put the Buccaneers in position to score again on their second series, a 50-yard field goal by Murray. Linebacker James Harrison made his 2014 debut with the Steelers on the previous play, which was an incomplete pass.
Suisham kicked a 25-yard field goal after the Steelers reached a first down at the 9 and could not punch it in. Justin Brown dropped a third-down pass in the end zone.
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