Game report Scott Smith, Buccaneers.com, published 24 December 2002 Backing up a year’s worth of talk, the visiting Steelers dominate in a 17-7 victory that gave Pittsburgh a division title and denied the Bucs a shot at the NFC’s top seed. Think this game wasn’t intense? On Monday night, 35 minutes before kickoff between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers, a brief shoving match broke out between Bucs LB Nate Webster and Steelers S Brent Alexander. Unfortunately for the home team, the Steelers did most of the pushing once the game had begun. And most of the talking. In a game disappointingly similar to last year’s Pittsburgh win in Tampa – after which S Lee Flowers famously called the Bucs ‘paper champions’ – the Steelers dominated the action physically and took home a relatively easy 17-7 victory. In the end, the Bucs were left folded like so much origami. The loss ended the Bucs’ hopes of gaining the NFC’s number-one playoff seed overall, but the team remains in contention for the second seed and a first-round bye. They could accomplish that still-important goal with a win next Sunday night at Chicago coupled with a Green Bay loss at the New York Jets. The Bucs, now at 11-4, also failed in their first bid to set a new team record for regular-season wins. The 2002 squad remains tied with the 11-win group of 1999, but could get to 12-4 with a win at Chicago. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, improved to 9-5-1 and clinched the AFC North title. The game started about as badly as possible for the Buccaneers, who found themselves down 14-0 before the game was four minutes old. Pittsburgh took the opening possession 81 yards on six plays, highlighted by a 41-yard catch by WR Plaxico Burress on the first play from scrimmage. QB Tommy Maddox was three-for-three for 70 yards on the drive, including an 11-yard touchdown pass to WR Antwaan Randle El. The Bucs’ first possession was much less successful. With usual starter Brad Johnson sidelined by a sore back, Shaun King got the start and threw his second pass to CB Chad Scott. Scott returned the Buccaneers’ first turnover in three games for a 30-yard touchdown and a 14-0 Pittsburgh lead. After the Steelers had widened their first-quarter lead to 17-0 on a 70-yard field goal drive highlighted by Burress’ 28-yard catch, Tampa Bay threatened to get back into the game. King’s 15-yard scramble and runs of 18 and eight yards by FB Mike Alstott got the Bucs down to the Steelers’ seven. On the first play of the second quarter, however, Alstott fumbled and Pittsburgh recovered at the eight. The forfeited scoring opportunity was particularly painful because Tampa Bay had chosen to take a successful, 50-yard field goal by Martin Gramatica off the boards after a Pittsburgh penalty gave them a new first down. "We’re very disappointed, obviously, in the outcome of the game," said Head Coach Jon Gruden. "We had some opportunities in the red zone area and we turned the ball over and never got going." In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a positive development for the Buccaneers until three minutes were left in the first half. Shortly after DT Warren Sapp was flagged for roughing the passer after being tripped inadvertently into Maddox’ legs, the Bucs turned away a scoring threat with S Dexter Jackson’s fumble recovery at the Bucs’ 17. Unfortunately, despite a promising two-minute drill that followed, Tampa Bay failed to capitalize when a holding penalty and three straight incompletions led to a punt from Pittsburgh’s 38. Pittsburgh QB Tommy Maddox, who just four weeks ago was inactive due to a frightening neck injury, was razor sharp, hitting his receivers in stride throughout the evening. He finished with 17 completions in 23 attempts for 236 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, stunningly compiling a one-day passer rating of 120.9 against a Buc defense that had held all of its opponents to a combined rating of 47.5 coming in. Maddox appeared to be aided by a well-devised game plan emphasizing the pass on first down. With S Dexter Jackson constantly creeping up to the line of scrimmage on first down in anticipation of a Jerome Bettis carry, the Steelers threw on seven of their 13 first downs in the first half, completing six of seven passes for 99 yards. King, on the other hand, struggled in his first start since the 2000 season. A handful of his passes sailed well over his intended receivers’ heads, leading to just nine completions in 26 attempts. King recorded just 73 passing yards, though he did scramble very effectively, picking up 23 yards on three carries, the most by a Buccaneer quarterback this season. Third-string passer Rob Johnson relieved King midway through the third quarter and immediately fared much better, though the Bucs’ luck didn’t change. Completing six of eight passes, Johnson somehow threw for 97 passing yards on a drive that didn’t score. That’s because DT Casey Hampton knocked the ball out of Johnson’s hands on a second-and-goal from the three and LB Kendrell Bell recovered at the 10. The Bucs did manage to avoid their first shutout since 1999 when Johnson led another long drive in the fourth quarter that finally found the end zone. Johnson’s final pass was an 18-yard scoring toss to Keyshawn Johnson, who made an impressive, reaching catch. Had the Bucs failed to score, it would have marked the first shutout in Jon Gruden’s five-year head coaching career. However, Gruden was involved the last time the Buccaneers failed to score in a game. On December 19, 1999, the Buccaneers traveled to Oakland in the midst of a strong second-half run but were stunned by Gruden’s Raiders, 45-0. That was the only loss in the last nine regular-season games in ’99, as the Bucs eventually advanced to the NFC Championship Game. Monday night’s game was probably Tampa Bay’s worst showing since that trip to Oakland, but the Bucs are once again in position to erase the disappointment in the postseason. Johnson finished with 12 completions in 18 attempts for 159 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, but proved less elusive than King, taking five of the Bucs’ sacks in a quarter and a half. Despite the game’s terrible start, Tampa Bay could have climbed back into the game if they hadn’t lost the turnover battle for just the third time this season. All three turnovers were costly, one leading to a Pittsburgh touchdown and two stopping Buc drives inside the 10. The Bucs are now 9-0 this year when they have a positive turnover ratio and 2-4 when it is equal or in the opponent’s favor.