Teddy Bridgewater threw touchdown passes to Bucky Irving and Emeka Egbuka as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers started strong on offense in an eventual 17-14 preseason win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium. Kicker Chase McLaughlin drilled a 42-yard field goal as time expired after an interception by LB Antonio Grier gave the visitors a chance to walk it off.

Making his Buccaneers game debut, Bridgewater displayed good touch and an ability to extend plays with his legs while going six of 11 for 85 yards, those two scores and a 118.3 passer rating. He played with the majority of the team's offensive starters, leading eight drives as the Buccaneers opened up a 14-0 lead on a Pittsburgh defense fielding a mix of starters and reserves. Both of Bridgewater's touchdown passes featured impressive plays by the recipients, with Irving lining up wide and running a straight go and Egbuka, the team's impressive rookie first-rounder, hauling in a circus catch near the sideline in the end zone.

"That was pretty good," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "For only being in it 12 days was another reason we wanted to put him out there early with guys who knew what they were doing. He did a great job, he threw two great passes and threw two touchdowns."

Bridgewater was followed under center by fifth-year man Kyle Trask and undrafted rookie Connor Bazelak, and the Bucs' offense was otherwise ineffective for most of the night. Tampa Bay finished the night with just 240 yards of net offense, including 41 rushing yards on 24 attempts. While Irving's touchdown grab was impressive, he found very little room to maneuver on his eight carries, gaining just 12 yards.

Bowles said the Buccaneers decided to start Bridgewater in his first game since signing with the team 11 days ago in order to get him action against some of the Steelers' front-line defenders and alongside most of Tampa Bay's starting offensive players.

"We wanted to see him in action," said Bowles. "It was by no means a demotion for Kyle, but we wanted to see him play. We didn't want to see him in mop-up time. So we wanted to put him out there and see where he was. And he did a good job."

Egbuka's touchdown grab was his only catch of the game but it continued a very impressive start to the first-rounder's career.

"He plays like he practices," said Bowles. " He practices like that. He's been like that since we drafted him, he's like that every day in practice and it just carries over for him."

The Buccaneers also ran out most of their defensive starters in the first quarter. That group faced three Pittsburgh drives with QB Mason Rudolph at the helm, ending the first one on CB Zyon McCollum's interception and the second on OLB Yaya Diaby's stop of Rudolph on a third-down scramble. Rudolph did get the Steelers into the end zone on their third drive after a 19-yard pass interference penalty on CB Jamel Dean put the ball at the Bucs' two-yard line.

Pittsburgh later tied the game in the third quarter RB Trey Sermon's one-yard touchdown run before McLaughlin avoided a preseason tie with his clutch kick.

In addition to the picks by Grier and McCollum, CB Kindle Vildor turned back a Pittsburgh scoring threat in the second quarter with a red zone interception as the Bucs' secondary continued its trend of repeatedly getting hands on the football. After breaking up two passes in his NFL debut a week earlier, rookie CB Jacob Parrish had another strong outing with another pass defensed, a tackle for loss and three stops. Vildor also added a second pass defensed. The Bucs have produced six interceptions through their first two preseason games. Rookie LBs Nick Jackson and John Bullock each had sacks – the second in two games for Jackson – as did second-year OLB Chris Braswell.

"Turnovers win games," said Bowles. "That last one got us the ballgame and obviously we stopped two drives with the other two. We can't turn it over and that put them back in the ballgame but three interceptions two games in a row is a plus. Got to keep getting them."

Trask only threw 10 passes, completing three of them for 19 yards. Bazelak was 14 of 18 for 106 yards. For the second week in a row, the Bucs did not throw an interception, though TE Tanner Taula lost a fumble and rookie WR Tez Johnson muffed a punt in the second half. Before that mistake, Johnson returned his first NFL punt for a 34-yard gain, and he also caught four passes for 24 yards in his professional debut. WRs Sterling Shepard and Garrett Greene tied for the team lead with three catches each.

Bowles said Johnson's turnover, in which he first let a punt hit the ground and pass him on the bounce before trying to grab it, was a teaching moment for the seventh-round rookie.

"The muffed punt I think is a good learning experience for him as a rookie," said Bowles. "You've got to take care of the ball and you've got to manage the game back there. That's one of the prime responsibilities of a punt returner, so it was a very good lesson for him. He'll get better going forward, but I thought he played fast and I thought he played hard."

The Buccaneers moved to 2-0 on the preseason with their win. They will finish up their August slate next Saturday night with a home game against the Buffalo Bills.

The Bucs got the ball first and started at their own 25 after a 23-yard kickoff return by Sean Tucker. Irving broke out of a tackle on a first-down carry and tried to reverse field but ended up losing a yard. After a false start penalty, Irving's next run was stopped for just one yard, and while Bridgewater impressively evaded a near-sack and scrambled right to get off a pass to Sterling Shepard, it was far short of a first down. The resulting punt by Riley Dixon went 42 yards and was returned to the Steelers' 36.

S Christian Izien tripped up RB Kenneth Gainwell on an outlet pass to limit the Steelers' first play to two yards, and McCollum made sure the drive lasted only one more play. QB Mason Rudolph tried to throw a deep slant to WR Roman Wilson but McCollum cut in front of the receiver and picked off the pass, returning the ball 12 yards to Pittsburgh's 48.

Irving again found no room to run on first down and Bridgewater's attempted pass to wide-open TE Cade Otton was unfortunately deflected at the line. On third-and-eight, Bridgewater found McMillan down the right hashes for a gain of 18. McMillan leaped high for the catch and was flipped in midair by CB Joey Porter Jr., landing on his head and neck. McMillan was understandably shaken up on the play took several minutes to get to his feet, but he walked off the field on his own power. After a three-yard Irving run and an incompletion, Bridgewater's third-down pass to Otton was too hot to handle and the Bucs settled for Chase McLaughlin's 43-yard field goal try. He nailed it, but CB D'Shawn Jamison ran into him after the kickoff and was assessed a personal foul. That made it first down at the Pittsburgh 12, but Irving's next run resulted in a three-yard loss. On the next play, the Bucs lined Irving up wide to the right and he simply beat LB Payton Wilson off the line and ran a fly, hauling in Bridgewater's 15-yard pass for a touchdown and the game's first points.

The Bucs' kickoff coverage team stopped RB Kaleb Johnson at the Steelers' 23, and DL Logan Hall dropped RB Gainwell after a one-yard gain on first down. LB Deion Jones did the same on second down and Rudolph had to scramble after getting pressure up the middle on third down. OLB Yaya Diaby stopped Rudolph a yard short of the sticks, leading to a punt, and rookie WR Tez Johnson broke free for a 34-yard return to the Bucs' 42.

Bridgewater got the next drive going with a 13-yard pass to WR Sterling Shepard on a curl in the right flat. After Bridgewater's pass to an open Emeka Egbuka on third-and-six from the Pittsburgh 38 was out of reach, the Bucs elected to go for it and Bridgewater found Shepard wide open in the middle of the field with room to run for a gain fo 27 yards to the 11. Irving pounded up the middle for five yards and got one more on second down. On third down, Egbuka ran a route to the left sideline in the end zone and made a dazzling catch around tight coverage by CB Brandin Echols for his first NFL score.

Pittsburgh's next drive started at its own 37 and immediately got into scoring range when Wilson got behind the defense for a 42-yard catch over the middle. A pass interference flag on CB Jamel Dean on the next play put the ball at the two-yard line. Two plays later, Rudolph scrambled left after pressure from DL Vita Vea and was able to find WR Brandon Johnson in the end zone for the answering touchdown.

Trask came in to start the next drive under center and his first pass was an incompletion under pressure intended for RB Sean Tucker. Tucker got two yards on a second-down run but Trask was dropped for an 11-yard sack on third down and the Bucs had to punt. Dixon's second kick of the night rolled to a stop at the Steelers' 19 for a 62-yard net.

Skylar Thompson came in at quarterback for Pittsburgh and immediately found Wilson for a gain of 30 yards, as Tampa Bay's defense started to mix in a number of reserves. After the first quarter came to an end and the team's switched sides, Thompson found former Buccaneer WR Scotty Miller on the right sideline for a gain of 12 into Buccaneers territory. Parrish broke up a pass over the middle intended for Wilson and on the very next play shot off the left edge to trip up Kaleb Johnson for a loss of two. Braswell then ended the Steelers' drive and forced a punt that Tez Johnson fair caught at the Bucs' 11.

The Bucs went three-and-out on the ensuing drive, with two Tucker plays gaining four yards and a third-down pass to WR Rakim Jarrett falling incomplete. Dixon came on to blast a 63-yard punt and dover coverage forced Pittsburgh to start at its own 26.

Kaleb Johnson cut back into the open field on his first down carry and gained 14 yards before being taken down by Parrish. Three snaps later, the Steelers faced a third-and-two close to midfield. DL Mike Green stood Johnson up at the line to hold him to a gain of one and the Steelers elected to go for it on fourth down. Out of the shotgun, Thompson threw an out to FB Cameron Heyward who just got enough for a first down despite a quick reaction by LB Deion Jones. Two plays later, Thompson found Miller again for a gain of 23 to the Bucs' 18. The Steelers then faced a third-and-five at the 13 and Thompson tried to get the ball to WR Lance McCutcheon near the right sideline. Vildor got a hand on the ball to break it up, then hauled in the deflection for an interception at the seven. He returned the pick all the way to the 43 but the return was erased by an unnecessary roughness call on S Christian Izien.

The Bucs thus took over at their own five with six minutes left in the half. Tucker got six yards on a first-down run up the middle and rookie Josh Williams then got his first NFL carry and turned it into another six yards. Williams' second carry was even better, as he started over right guard and then broke it out wide for a gain of 10 to the 27. The Bucs faced a third-and-12 moments later and while Trask was able to scramble out of trouble and get a pass off to Tucker it was five yards short of moving the sticks.

Pittsburgh's next drive started at its 34 with just under three minutes before intermission. A stop at the line of Johnson by DL Greg Gaines and a forced scramble by Thompson on a Vildor blitz made it third-and-10 as the two-minute warning arrived. Before the third-down snap, the Steelers lost five yards on a false start and a quick pass out to the right to Brandin Johnson came up well short of the first-down line.

Tampa Bay had a minute to work with when it got the ball back at its own 12. Pittsburgh called a timeout when the Bucs fell into a third-and-six hole, but Trask converted it with an eight-yard strike to Johnson. However, Trask's next three passes were incomplete and the Bucs had to punt it away with 24 seconds to left.

Pittsburgh decided to push it with 12 seconds left but incurred a holding penalty on the first snap and then kneeled-out the half.

The Steelers got the ball first in the second half and started at their own 35, with Thompson throwing a 12-yard pass to TE JJ Galbreath. After losing 10 yards on a hands-to-the face penalty, the Steelers got most of it back on a Thompson scramble. S Rashad Wisdom denied a second-down pass intended for WR Max Hurleman and S Kaevon Merriweather reacted quickly on a short third-down throw to force a punt. The kick was fair caught by Johnson at the Bucs' seven.

Bazelak came on to start the second half at quarterback for the Buccaneers and immediately completed a 13-yard pass to Williams. Two plays later, Jarrett ran a curl on a clear-out play and Bazelak delivered the ball for a gain of eight. The rookie passer kept the drive going on the next play with an 11-yard strike to Johnson, but a chance at a huge play was lost when another pass to Johnson was just a bit too tall. Two plays later, on third-and-five, Bazelak hooked up with Johnson again but CB Daryl Porter twisted the receiver down short of the line to gain.

The Steelers got the ball back at their own nine and got runs of nine and seven yards from Kaleb Johnson to get one first down and set up a third-and-three at the 27. After Vildor broke up a very deep pass intended for McCutcheon, rookie LB John Bullock shot into the backfield for a 12-yard sack to force a punt.

Unfortunately, Johnson made an ill-advised attempt to pick up a punt that had bounced past him and failed to bring it in, with the Steelers recovering at Tampa Bay's 21. Johnson broke free for a nine-yard gain on first down, and another eight on the next snap. Two more runs got it down to the Bucs' one-yard line and RB Trey Sermon was able to punch it on the next play to tie the game at 14-14 with 3:30 left in the third quarter.

After a touchback put the ball at the Bucs' 35, the Bucs committed false start and offensive pass interference penalties to land in a third-and-20 hole. A tunnel screen to Miller worked well but the 12-yard gain was not nearly enough to keep the drive alive. The resulting punt put the ball back at Pittsburgh's 24 with 36 seconds left in the third quarter.

After another swap of punts, Pittsburgh had it again at its own 20 with 13 minutes left in regulation. The Steelers immediately flipped the field as RB Lew Nichols bounced a run around right end and broke into the open field for a run of 37 yards, with only an ankle tackle by CB JayVian Farr saving a touchdown. Another first down put the ball at the Bucs' 27-yard line, but a false start three snaps later made it third-and-seven and QB Logan Woodside's potential touchdown pass to WR Roc Taylor was just out of reach. Kicker Ben Sauls came on to attempt a 43-yard field goal but the game remained tied when the left-footed rookie hooked it wide right.

After the miss, the Bucs started anew at their own 33 but Bazelak's attempted deep shot to WR Jacob Harris was off the mark. Bazelak did keep the drive moving, however, with short passes to WR Garrett Greene and RB Owen Wright. Bazelak also found TE Tanner Taula on a crossing route that was good for a big gain, but Taula lost control of the ball on a hit by Jamison and it was recovered by Pittsburgh's Quindell Johnson at the Steelers' 36.

After the takeaway, the Steelers struck quickly on Woodside's 20-yard rollout pass to Taylor to the Bucs' 43. A false start and a sack by undrafted rookie OLB Warren Peeples helped force a fourth-and-seven and a short pass to Galbreath was off his hands and incomplete. Bazelak hit Harris on consecutive completions to start the next drive but the second one was erased by a penalty and an incompletion made it third-and-10. WR Jaden Smith made a diving catch on third down for nine yards and the Bucs went for it on fourth-and-one, but Wright was stopped for a loss of one to turn it over on downs.

After runs of 12 and three yards by Evan Hull got the Steelers into field goal range, Grier turned the tide by streaking in front of Hurleman to intercept Woodside's next pass and return it 32 yards to the Steelers' 36. A tunnel screen to Greene converted a third-and-nine moments later and the Bucs then ran down the clock before sending out McLaughlin for the game-winning kick.