TAMPA - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers return to Raymond James Stadium for Week Six against the Pittsburgh Steelers, looking to build on a 24-16 prime-time win over the Dallas Cowboys that ended a four-game losing streak and kept the team within one win of the NFC South lead.
Rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels is expected to start after completing 19 of 25 passes for a 76.0 completion percentage against Dallas, throwing one touchdown and no interceptions. Running back Bucky Irving carried the offense with 175 rushing yards and two touchdowns, forcing 10 missed tackles and compiling 122 yards after contact - both single-game career highs according to Next Gen Stats.
The Buccaneers, who surrendered 16 sacks during their 0-4 start, gave up just one in the Dallas win. That improvement will be tested by Pittsburgh outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who carries a 0.71-second average get-off time at the snap - tied for the fastest in the NFL among all edge rushers and defensive linemen. Watt has 4.5 sacks through five games and 119.5 for his career. Fellow edge rusher Alex Highsmith adds to the pressure the Bucs’ offensive line must contain.
The Steelers enter at 3-2 in the AFC North, led by veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who threw for 235 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in Pittsburgh’s Week Five win over Indianapolis.
Tampa Bay’s defense has been equally sharp. Cornerback Zyon McCollum allowed just two completions over the past three games across 104 coverage snaps, including zero completions on 42 snaps against Dallas - many of those against CeeDee Lamb, the NFL’s leading receiver entering Week Five.
The Buccaneers rank fourth in the NFL with an average time of possession of 31:52 per game. Against Dallas, they held the ball for 39:21 compared to 20:39 for the Cowboys, helping hold an offense that had averaged 30.5 points per game to 16. With Pittsburgh’s rushing attack and Rodgers-led passing game, ball control figures to be equally critical Sunday.
Wideout Emeka Egbuka leads Tampa Bay with 192 receiving yards through five games. The Buccaneers are the only team in the league with five or more players over 100 receiving yards but none over 200, a sign the passing attack is still finding its rhythm distributing the ball among its pass-catchers.
Despite the 0-4 start, Tampa Bay trails the NFC South leaders by just one win. The 2-2 Carolina Panthers and 2-3 Atlanta Falcons sit atop the division, and the Buccaneers still have all six of their intra-division games remaining. Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh - just the 13th meeting in franchise history between the two clubs - kicks off at Raymond James Stadium.