After a fantastic beginning by the starting unit followed by a wild finish at the end, the Bucs fell to the Steelers by a score of 30-28 on Friday. Tampa Bay failed to convert on three, two-point conversion attempts and let up some big plays on the third down that led to their defeat. They did rally to make a comeback at the end, providing drama until the final seconds of the game.

Here is a list of the most impressive players from Friday Night’s game.

Yeoman’s Cask And Lion sponsors the Pewter Player of the Game each week. Yeoman’s Cask And Lion is a British-themed restaurant and pub with two locations – downtown Tampa at 202 North Morgan Street and also in downtown Kissimmee. Offering 10 lunch items under $10, Yeoman’s is a great lunchtime destination. With a traditional cask ale, rotating craft drafts, classic brews, cocktails and a full menu, Yeoman’s Cask And Lion isn’t just a British pub, but a British experience.

Pewter Player of the Game
QB Jameis Winston
He may have only played in one series on the opening drive, but Winston was nearly flawless in his 2019 debut. The Bucs’ starting quarterback marched his team 81 yards down the field to open up the game with a touchdown. In that time he made quick, decisive throws finding the open main almost instantly once the play developed. He never hesitated once, looking sharp as he orchestrated the drive.

Winston connected early on with Breshad Perriman for an 11-yard gain followed by a check down to Peyton Barber for a four-yard gain. After a couple more plays that included an 11-yard pass to Chris Godwin, Winston made his most impressive move with his feet to keep the drive moving along. With a defender closing in with pressure to his blind side, he was able to avoid the sack and scramble for 10 yards and a first down. That play showed great athleticism, and set the Bucs up for the score on a quick nine-yard screen pass to Godwin. With the exception of one deep ball that was overthrown, Winston was terrific in this game. He went 5-of-6 passing for 40 yards along with the touchdown and one carry for 10 yards.

OLB Noah Spence
Spence was having a nearly dominant start to training camp and he came out firing out of the gates in the first half of the game.

With a quick first step off the edge, Spence was constantly causing pressure in the backfield on passing plays. He was often too much to handle, and while Spence didn’t record a sack, he was indirectly responsible for a sack for Carl Nassib, and drew a holding penalty as well. Spence was held early and often, but still made an impact on the play, including recording a tackle for loss. His only gaffe was a penalty that negated an interception by cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III.

RB Ronald Jones II
Plenty has been made of how good of a camp Jones was having, and yet the question still remained if he could do it in again. Jones answered that question and passed his first test, looking like a totally different running back from the year before.

He ran fearless during his time in the game, which included a couple of reps with the starters on the opening drive. Jones, now 221 pounds, put the added weight to use running physically towards defenders while being able to be quick enough to get up-field as well. Jones had some open field to work with for once, and he made the most of it. That included a series with the first team where he had two straight runs that helped move the chains before they reached first down.

Jones had one reception on the night, on a five-yard screen pass, along with 18 rushing yards on four carries. He had 22 total rushing yards last year in the preseason, so he’s well on his way to surpassing that number this year.

RB Dare Ogunbowale
Taking a bulk of the carries in the second half, Ogunbowale showed why he’s in competition to get some serious playing time for the Bucs this year. While Tampa Bay didn’t generate much offense with the backups without help from a turnover or penalty, Ogunbowale was one of the main catalysts when the team did get it moving. He displayed his shiftiness and vision, running hard downfield, and eventually punched in a touchdown from 10 yards out. Then produced in the clutch by scoring his second touchdown to cut the Steelers’ lead to 30-28. He ended up with 34 rushing yards on 10 carries, averaging 3.4 yards per rush along with those two touchdowns.

WR Spencer Schnell
He was Ryan Griffin’s main target for all of the fourth quarter as the Bucs attempted to make their comeback. Schnell ended up as the Bucs leading receiver with 119 yards on seven receptions. The rookie wide receiver made some great catches on the sideline, especially one where he had to leap to come down with it. Schnell is in contention for the Bucs’ final receiver spot on the roster, and a gutsy performance like this only added to his rising stock.

TE Tanner Hudson
Hudson was the Bucs’ second-leading receiver on Friday night, catching seven of nine targets for a 84 yards, which was highlighted by a spectacular one-handed catch for a touchdown and a clutch catch on fourth down. He did a great job all night of finding his spot in the defense and securing the ball. The Bucs are pretty much set with their first two tight ends in O.J. Howard and Antony Auclair, and he has some work to do as a blocker, but Hudson showed that he is sure-handed if the QBs can get him the ball.

Honorable Mention: WR Chris Godwin (two catches, 20 yards, one touchdown), DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches (two tackles, one tackle for loss), K Matt Gay (55-yard field goal), CB Mazzie Wilkins (forced fumble), ILB Deone Bucannon (2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack), OLB Carl Nassib (1 tackle, 1 TFL, 1 sack), FS Isaiah Johnson (fumble recovery), QB Ryan Griffin (330 passing yards, one touchdown)