NFL Football(Bob Balfe)
8:15 PM EST
Rotation #489-490
Buccaneers -1.5 over Steelers
You got a quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger who is aging, slowing down. He’s even been likened in the news with Stormy Daniels this week. How bad can that get? You’ve got a running back who the team doesn’t want to pay. He’s now on the trade blocks. Your top wide receiver’s been a problem, troublemaker with your team. He seems disinterested to play. You’ve got 40% of your offensive line out tonight. Your right guard and right tackle will not play this evening.
Then you’ve got a first-year offensive co-ordinator on the road. Let’s flip it around to their defense. This team basically returns all their starters from last year, and the guys that they let go, they’ve probably upgraded with guys from other cities that have come in. This is a very experienced defense, and what happened to them last week? They gave up six passing touchdowns, blown out by Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Mahomes is a first-year starter in the NFL. His secondary is gonna miss Morgan Burnett tonight in the safety position, and their cornerbacks Haden and Burns are nursing injuries as well. That’s not good news when you got the likes of Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson, even Humphries, they can all take the top off the defense at home. This offensive line is playing very well for Tampa. Why can’t they win this game? Ryan Fitzpatrick, how did he become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL the first three weeks of the football season? Well, it’s simple. He’s got the weapons.
He’s got receivers that can spread the field. He’s got running backs that can catch the ball out of the backfield to get chunk yardage and he’s getting great tight end play. Again, it all starts up front with that offensive line. They’re playing very well. If you look at Pittsburgh on their side of the ball, when you’re missing guys on the offensive line that’s not good. With Bell out, they don’t really have that running back that can catch the ball out of the backfield and get those safe yards when needed.
They have good tight ends there in Pittsburgh, but it’s just not enough. I don’t think Pittsburgh is any good this year, and it’s a shame. I feel like the coach has lost his football team. When you’re on the road in a critical week three game where you can
Tampa, on the other hand, you got Ryan Fitzpatrick who is saying, “Why can’t I be the starter?” And really, why shouldn’t he be? Jameis Winston’s gotten his self in trouble many of times over the course of his NFL career, even dating back to college. How many chances do you get as a pro athlete? When you’ve got a guy that’s coming in here, slinging the ball all over the field, this is a statement game for Fitzpatrick.
go either one of two ways. You can get back in the winning circle for the first time this year and start to build on that, or you could lose and you can be going into week four of the season without a win.
If he does well tonight and beats Pittsburgh at home, you got to say that that’s his job to keep. If not, the coaching staff is crazy. We’re gonna go with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers here at home, minus the one-and-a-half to finish off week three in the NFL.