Safe to say the Buccaneers have the chance to do something they don’t get to do very often with a 3-0 start in sight. However, when the Steelers roll into town, Tampa Bay will also have to do something that not many teams in the NFL hav done very often in general, and that is beat the Steelers on Monday Night Football. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin is 12-2 in MNF games, which is the second highest winning percentage behind John Madden. Though this current Steelers team isn’t as strong as some of those that have garnered those 12 primetime victories in the Tomlin era have been, this is a team that will be ready for the spotlight in every way they can be.

But I don’t think it will be enough.

Yes, I am predicting that the Buccaneers win this one again in shootout fashion. This Bucs offense is clicking in every way it can, and I really don’t see how many teams in the NFL can keep up, especially with a team that is as weak in coverage as the Steelers are. Without Ryan Shazier anymore, the Steelers’ linebacker group leaves much to be desired in coverage, because of that, look for Cameron Brate to have a handful of catches in this one, and expect a good dose of O.J. Howard, as well.

Sikkema’s Click-to-Pick: Bucs TE O.J. Howard

PewterReport.com Intern Taylor Jenkins
When the Steelers come to Tampa on Monday night to face the Buccaneers, the world will see Ryan Fitzpatrick and Ben Roethlisberger, the league’s two top passers as far as yards are concerned, face off.

For the Bucs this is largely uncharted territory, seeking their first 3-0 start since 2005.

The Steelers come in at 0-1-1 and officially in desperation mode. This isn’t a franchise that is used to losing, but despite the way Bucs’ players have talked about them this week, this isn’t your dad’s Steelers.

The 2018 Steelers team we’ll see are beginning an era of turnover. They’ve got a coach that’s lost his locker room, if you listen to the media, a defense that sometimes resembles a roll of Charmin more than a steel curtain, a quarterback on the brink of retirement and a game-changing running back that refuses to join the team.

With that said, that aging quarterback is still averaging 393.5 passing yards per game with a good offensive line and two wide receivers, in Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, who will likely have their way with the Bucs’ young and injured secondary, even with the return of Brent Grimes.

I think that this game has the utmost potential to be yet another high-scoring game where the Bucs will be forced to really put pressure on Big Ben and keep the Steelers playing catchup, regardless of how they attempt to utilize and position their cornerbacks.

That puts a focus on the Bucs’ revamped defensive line and this is their opportunity to show their full potential on a national stage. The Steelers will be without David DeCastro for the second consecutive game and if the Gerald McCoy and company can disrupt Roethlisberger with interior pressure, it’ll be hard for the Steelers to match what we’ve seen from Todd Monken and the Bucs’ offense.

My prediction has gone back and forth throughout the week, flipping between the Bucs by three here or the Steelers by four points there, but one thing I can’t see happening is either team running away with it on Monday.

Jenkins’ Scorw Prediction: Bucs 34, Steelers 29
Jenkins’ Pick-to-Click: DE Jason Pierre-Paul

PewterReport.com Intern Matt Matera
I would of been a little more worried that the Buccaneers are a bit overconfident if this game was during the Sunday slate. We all saw the viral photo of Ryan Fitzpatrick last week wearing DeSean Jackson’s clothes, Tampa Bay definitely has a cockiness to them. But alas, the game is under the bright lights of Monday night football, so everyone should be up for it.

It’s funny, if you were to say before the season that one of these teams were undefeated and the other was winless going into this game, you would have it the other way around. The circus that the Steelers have become between Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown has created locker room turmoil and affected their start. It would be easy to overlook the Steelers but the fact that they’re desperate in a must win game makes them more dangerous than ever.

The wide receivers on both teams are in for another productive night on the field. I just don’t see a way in which either secondary can limit their counterpart. Brent Grimes is making his season debut for the Buccaneers, which is a big help, but that’s not enough to stop Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster when everyone else around you is a rookie or second year player. Same goes for the Buccaneers offense. The Steelers defense got embarrassed last week and will surely make changes. I can see them stopping one of the Bucs receivers, but again, how do you stop all of them?

Tampa Bay has struggled to run the ball thus far this season while Pittsburgh hasn’t lost a beat with James Conner taking all the carries. I’m looking to see the Buccaneers improve on that this week. I’m not saying Fitz Magic is done with but it’s tough to ask him to keep producing statistics that are out of this world, so look for an increase in the run game.

The Bucs defense had a rough time stopping the run against the Eagles last week letting touchdown runs of 15 and 20 years but actually were able to limit the Saints to 43 yards despite letting up 40 points. When it came to sacks, it was that Saints game where they couldn’t get to the quarterback and the Eagles game where they constantly pressurized the Nick Foles and got three sacks on him. Which defensive line shows up against Conner and Big Ben on Monday night?

This game could quite certainly come down to who has the ball last. Whichever defense can actually get a stop or two may actually be all the difference in it. I’m expecting another high scoring contest, and because the Steelers are desperate with their backs against the wall, I think they edge this one out to keep their season alive.

Matera’s Score Prediction: Steelers 34, Bucs 31
Matera’s Pick-To-Click: Peyton Barber