Following Thursday’s joint practice between the Bucs and Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the two teams returned to the same setting Saturday night as preseason action rolled on under the lights.

With the Bucs set to play the Bills in their preseason finale next week – a team they also play in the regular season – this was the game for Tampa Bay’s starters to get most of their preseason reps in. With the exception of Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans and Lavonte David, all of the team’s healthy starters started the game against the Steelers and played the majority of the first quarter.

The starting group for the Bucs got some good work in and left with a 14-7 lead, but a costly special teams mistake in the third quarter would help the Steelers draw even. The game stagnated from there as both teams squandered momentum back and forth until a late interception by Antonio Grier Jr. set Chase McLaughlin up for a 42-yard field goal at the buzzer to give Tampa Bay a 17-14 preseason win.

Here’s a recap of all the action from Saturday night’s action at  ̶H̶e̶i̶n̶z̶ ̶F̶i̶e̶l̶d̶  Acrisure Stadium:

Bucs 17, Steelers 14

The Bucs opened up with the ball at their own 25-yard line, with veteran Teddy Bridgewater getting the start at quarterback. Bucky Irving went backward on two runs and Charlie Heck got called for a false start to get things started, then Bridgewater found Sterling Shepard on a 7-yard pass short of the sticks for a quick three-and-out.

However, the Buccaneer defense got the ball right back to Bridgewater and the offense, with Zyon McCollum intercepting Mason Rudolph on the Steelers’ second play, returning it 12 yards to the Pittsburgh 48-yard line.

Bridgewater converted a 3rd & 8 on the ensuing possession thanks to a spectacular 18-yard catch by Jalen McMillan, though the second-year receiver landed hard on his neck and left the game with what the team called a back injury. He was also evaluated for a concussion.

Bucs WR Jalen McMillan – Photo by: USA Today

The drive would later continue for the Bucs offense after a roughing the kicker penalty, and two plays later, Irving lined up out wide and Bridgewater perfectly dropped the ball into his arms over a defender for a 15-yard touchdown. With the PAT, Tampa Bay turned McCollum’s interception into a 7-0 lead.

Tampa Bay’s defense forced a three-and-out on the next possession, keeping the Steelers in check before rookie Tez Johnson made some shifty moves and returned a Corliss Waitman punt 37 yards to the Tampa Bay 45.

Bridgewater hit Shepard for 13 yards early on the next drive and then found him again for a key 27-yard pickup on a 4th & 6 at the Pittsburgh 38, getting the Bucs into the red zone again. A few plays later, Bridgewater unleashed another pretty throw to rookie Emeka Egbuka, who made a great catch to haul it in for a 5-yard touchdown. With the PAT, the Bucs went up 14-0.

Bucs QB Teddy Bridgewater – Photo by: USA Today

Out of nowhere, though, the Steelers got right back into the game. Roman Wilson beat Jamel Dean for a 42-yard catch down the middle of the field, then Dean was called for pass interference on the next play to set up 1st & Goal for the home team at the 2-yard line. And two plays later, Rudolph found Brandon Johnson for a 2-yard touchdown with Dean nearby in coverage. Just like that, Pittsburgh was within 14-7.

Kyle Trask relieved Bridgewater on the Bucs’ next possession, but took a third-down sack for a quick three-and-out. Soon after, the first quarter came to an end with the visitors leading 14-7.

The start of the second quarter was all about rookie defensive back Jacob Parrish, as he broke up a Skylar Thompson pass on one play before blowing up a run for a tackle for loss on the next. Then, on third down, Chris Braswell and a blitzing Christian Izien got to Thompson for a sack to force a punt.

Bucs CB Jacob Parrish and Steelers RB Kaleb Johnson – Photo by: USA Today

Trask and the Bucs offense remained stagnant on their next possession and it looked like the Steelers might threaten to tie the game after a few pass plays deep down the field, but Kindle Vildor came up with a clutch red zone interception to shut that down and keep the lead intact at 14-7.

In fact, that’s where the score remained heading into halftime.

Out of the break, the two teams traded punts for much of the third quarter until a mistake from Tez Johnson on a punt return led to a fumble that Pittsburgh recovered at the Tampa Bay 21-yard line. Five runs later, Trey Sermon found the end zone from a yard out and with the PAT, the game was tied at 14-all with 3:30 to go in the third.

The game remained tied at 14 going into the fourth quarter before the Steelers had a chance to take their first lead of the game. Rookie kicker Ben Sauls lined up for a 43-yard field goal, only for head coach Mike Tomlin to call a timeout. That essentially turned into Tomlin icing his own kicker, as Sauls would miss the kick to keep the game tied.

Pittsburgh got another chance, though, as Tanner Taula fumbled the ball away just as Connor Bazelak looked to be getting in a groove. But soon after crossing midfield, the Steelers turned the ball over on downs, giving the ball back to Bazelak and the Bucs offense at their own 42 with 5:39 to go in a tie game.

Tampa Bay didn’t go far, though, turning the ball over within a minute and a half right around midfield. The Steelers didn’t take advantage of the good field position, though, with Logan Woodside throwing an interception to Antonio Grier Jr., who got back to the Pittsburgh 40 before fumbling the ball out of bounds at the 36.

A 13-yard completion from Bazelak to Garrett Greene on a 3rd & 9 ensured the Bucs would have a chance at a game-winning field goal in the final seconds. Sure enough, Chase McLaughlin came on and drilled a 42-yard field goal at the buzzer to win the game for Tampa Bay, getting the team to 2-0 in the exhibition slate.

Teddy Bridgewater showed little rust in his return to NFL action, finishing 6-of-11 for 85 yards and two touchdowns, with both scores coming on perfectly placed balls in the red zone. Kyle Trask, meanwhile, struggled in relief of Bridgewater. Let down at times by his offensive line and receivers, the fifth-year signal-caller finished 3-of-10 for 19 yards.

Bucs QB Teddy Bridgewater – Photo by: USA Today

After an impressive showing last week against the Titans, the Buccaneer run game was completely shut down by the Steelers. Bucky Irving ran eight times for only 12 yards (1.5 avg.), while Sean Tucker was limited to 6 yards on four carries (1.5 avg.).

The Tampa Bay secondary continued to take the ball away at a high clip Saturday night, with Zyon McCollum and Kindle Vildor recording interceptions to bring the group’s total up to five over the first two preseason games. Linebacker Antonio Grier Jr. had an interception late in the fourth, too, to give the Buccaneer defense six interceptions over eight quarters of preseason action.

Overall, it was largely a defensive battle between the two teams as the Bucs were 6-of-18 on third downs while the Steelers finished 2-of-12. Pittsburgh actually outgained Tampa Bay 316-240 in the game, but it was the visitors coming away with the win.

The Bucs will now return home to Tampa and wrap up the preseason next Saturday against the Buffalo Bills. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.