Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 Standouts from Week 3 vs. Buccaneers
3. TE Vance McDonald
The Pittsburgh Steelers rolled up 413 total yards in the 30-27 victory over the Buccaneers. Most of that came through the air. Ben Roethlisberger (more on him later) threw for 353 yards and three scores, with one interception. Wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster was targeted 11 times and led the team with nine receptions for 116 yards.
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Perennial Pro Bowl wideout Antonio Brown finished with six catches for 50 yards, 27 of those on a second-quarter score. And second-year running back James Conner, who rushed for 61 yards on 15 carries, added 34 yards on five receptions.
But it was tight end Vance McDonald that got the team off to a rousing start on Monday night when he hauled in a first-quarter pass from Ben Roethlisberger on the left sideline, stiff-armed Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ safety Chris Conte and proceeded to go untouched into the end zone for a 75-yard touchdown. He was targeted five times in the game and wound up with four grabs, good for 112 yards and the aforementioned score.
McDonald’s rousing play was a great response for a Steelers’ team that had fallen behind, 7-0, in the first quarter. Yes, Mike Tomlin’s club still trailed by one point after kicker Chris Boswell missed the PAT. But the long scoring jaunt helped open the flood gates on a 24-point second quarter for a Pittsburgh team desperate for a win.