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It came down to the wire, but the Bucs secured the win after a rough second half against the Steelers on the road.
The Bucs had a very flashy first half led by the debut of Teddy Bridgewater and some touchdown catches by Emeka Egbuka and Bucky Irving. The defense was making plays, forcing turnovers, and then the second half happened. The change in team units caused the team to lose momentum, and the Steelers picked up that baton and ran with it.
Here are the studs and duds from their performance.
Stud: Emeka Egbuka
Last week we saw Emeka Egbuka in his NFL debut showcase this skillset that earned him to be the 19th overall pick in the NFL Draft. On Saturday night, Egbuka hauled in his NFL touchdown and made a hard play look easy. He demonstrated good body control and awareness, enabling him to maintain his ascent in the minds of Bucs quarterbacks. There should be no rush for Chris Godwin Jr. to be back because the team needs him for the latter part of the season. Egbuka has proven he can be trusted to start the season.
Dud: Kyle Trask
The Kyle Trask era in Tampa Bay may be over. The last quarterback project of franchise legend coach Bruce Arians has just not been able to put it together since being taken in the second round of the NFL Draft, and now with Teddy Bridgewater arriving, things are not getting any easier. After the latter exited the game and Trask took over, the offense came to a near halt, and when Todd Bowles looks at the tape, he is likely to see that as well. The last preseason game of the year is going to be make-or-break for his tenure in Tampa Bay.
Stud: Teddy Bridgewater
Teddy Bridgewater did not look like a quarterback who had not played meaningful football for nearly two years. He has some misses, but they just missed. When he was on, he was taking what the defense gave him, and it allowed for the Bucs to get out to a strong 14-0 lead with him throwing two touchdowns.
Dud: Charlie Heck
Charlie Heck had a rough first drive for the Bucs, which has me reverting to a previous line the team used during training camp. Graham Barton at one point was being used at left tackle to cover up Tristan Wirfs’ injury, which may need to happen as a test in the final preseason game. Heck is a liability and could be the reason the Bucs struggle out of the gate.
#Studs #duds #Bucs #preseason #win #Steelers
