The Bucs hit the road in Week 6 for a favorable matchup against the struggling and banged-up Steelers, but instead, they were embarrassed in a 20-18 losing effort. Tampa Bay stumbled out of the gates and never recovered, with its red zone struggles, inexperienced offensive line and third-and-long defense exposed to a new degree by one of the worst teams in football.

Things couldn’t have started much worse for Todd Bowles’ team, as the offense went three-and-out and rookie punter Jake Camarda’s short punt set Pittsburgh up with solid field position. Rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett then picked apart the Buccaneer defense, eventually finding Najee Harris for a six-yard touchdown pass to cap off an 11-play, 66-yard drive that took almost six and a half minutes off the clock.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay offense initially responded well, with a 20-yard pass from Brady to Mike Evans being the big play of the ensuing possession. But the drive stalled in the red zone, forcing the Bucs to settle for a 30-yard field goal by Ryan Succop.

The defense locked it down a little better throughout the rest of the first half, allowing just a 55-yard field goal by Chris Boswell after that opening touchdown drive. But the Bucs never found any rhythm offensively, with a 27-yard field goal by Succop being their only other first-half points before a late sequence in the first half gave them some life.

After punting the ball back to Pittsburgh, the Bucs came up with a stop. Then, taking over at midfield after the Steelers’ punt, Brady found Chris Godwin for a 15-yard gain. That set up Succop, who tied his career long with a 54-yard field goal as time expired.

Steelers RB Najee Harris – Photo by: USA Today

With that, Pittsburgh took a 10-9 lead into halftime. Through 30 minutes, Tampa Bay had just 147 yards and a 1-of-6 mark on third downs.

The Bucs’ defense continued to bail them out to start the second half, as Steven Sims returned the opening kickoff 89 yards all the way to the 12-yard line. But from there, Pittsburgh had to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Boswell.

Tampa Bay’s offense continued to sputter in the red zone on its next drive. A 28-yard pass from Brady to Godwin highlighted the possession and the team eventually had a 1st & Goal at the 4-yard line, but costly penalties and negative runs set everything back yet again. And that meant another field goal from Succop – this one from 24 yards out – to get the Bucs within 13-12 midway through the third quarter.

The two teams traded punts for the rest of the quarter, with a significant injury coming into play on both sides. Pickett was rocked by Devin White and left the game with a concussion. That brought Mitch Trubisky in for the rest of the game. Then, Cameron Brate went down with a scary injury. Making his return after suffering a concussion in Week 4, he remained down on the field holding his head after a catch, which led the medical staff to come out. After he was carted off the field – giving a thumbs up in the process – play resumed.

The Steelers finally broke the offensive stalemate in the fourth quarter. After converting a 3rd & 13 on a pass from Trubisky to George Pickens, the Steelers caught the Bucs with too many men on the field and exposed a blown coverage, leading to a 45-yard gain down to the Tampa Bay 11. Two plays later, Trubisky found Claypool for a six-yard touchdown. With the PAT, Pittsburgh took a 20-12 lead with 9:55 to go.

Bucs RB Leonard Fournette – Photo by: USA Today

Down by eight, Tampa Bay’s offense had to respond. Cade Otton made an outstanding diving catch for 17 yards on an early third down, then Leonard Fournette picked up seven big yards on a 4th & 1 later in the drive. A short pass to Rachaad White helped the Bucs convert another fourth down, then the offense finally found the end zone. Brady hit Fournette on a short pass and the big running back took it the rest of the way for an 11-yard touchdown.

But a pass breakup by Devin Bush on the two-point conversion try kept Pittsburgh in front, 20-18, with just over four and a half minutes left.

With the failed two-point conversion, the Buccaneer defense needed a stop. But despite getting the Steelers to 3rd & 15 and 3rd & 11, the unit couldn’t get off the field. The Steelers ultimately killed the remaining 4:38 after the Bucs’ touchdown, putting the game away. The win snapped Pittsburgh’s four-game losing streak and sent Tampa Bay to 3-3.

Brady finished the day just 25-of-40 for 243 yards and a touchdown, while much was asked of Fournette once again as the running back ran 21 times for 63 yards (3.0 avg.) and caught six passes for 38 yards and the offense’s lone touchdown. Tampa Bay’s defense kept the team in it for much of the day, but it couldn’t get stops when it mattered most. The Steelers converted countless third-and-longs and after relieving Pickett, Trubisky threw for 144 yards and a touchdown on 9-of-12 passing.

The Bucs (3-3) will look to rebound from one of their worst losses in recent memory next week as they head to Charlotte for a meeting with the Carolina Panthers (1-4). Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.