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Explosive Steelers hope to pile on struggling Bucs

Sep 25, 2014 - 6:33 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Lovie Smith knew it was a work in progress.

What the former NFC champion coach might not have realized upon signing on in Tampa Bay, however, was just how much work would be needed to attain such little progress.

Smith and the Buccaneers head to Heinz Field in Pittsburgh in the aftermath of a 54-16 Week 3 debacle in Atlanta, which equaled the third-worst defeat in franchise history and found them on the wrong ends of better than two-to-one deficits in both total yardage (488-217) and first downs (26-10).

Oh, and they committed five turnovers, too, in falling to 0-3 on the season.

"When you get beat that bad, you need to make changes," Smith said. "Maybe that's personnel, maybe it's not. You're looking at all areas when you feel like you need to go another direction."

Smith was non-committal on a starting quarterback against the Steelers after youngster Mike Glennon replaced Josh McCown last week, when the veteran suffered a sprained thumb on his right hand following five completions in 12 throws for 58 yards and an interception against Atlanta.

McCown did not practice on Wednesday.

Glennon started 13 games as a rookie last season, winning four, while throwing 19 touchdown passes against nine interceptions. He was 17-of-24 for 121 yards and a TD after subbing in against the Falcons.

The upheaval extends to the offensive coaching staff, where coordinator Jeff Tedford is on an indefinite leave of absence. He's been part-time since undergoing a medical procedure in late August, and Smith, who said there's no timetable for a return, indicated that the staff will collectively fill the void.

Running back Doug Martin was a full participant in Wednesday's practice after missing two straight games with a knee injury. He was held to just nine yards on nine carries in a Week 1 loss to Carolina.

Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was a limited participant in practice, but is also expected to return after a hand injury kept him on the sidelines for the last two weeks.

"Those guys will eventually help us," Smith said. "That's why we're optimistic things are going to change, because we don't have those players out for the season. They'll all be coming back, so reinforcements are on the way."

Pittsburgh, which has won eight of nine meetings between the teams since they first met in 1976, enters the week with the AFC's second-most prolific offense (419.3 yards per game) after rolling up 454 yards in an 18-point Sunday night road win against the Panthers.

The Steelers went from Week 1 to more than halfway through Week 3 without an offensive touchdown, but erupted for four scores in the final 27 minutes in Carolina. Two Pittsburgh rushers - Le'Veon Bell (147) and LeGarrette Blount (118) - went for triple-digit yardage, the first time the franchise had managed that feat since 1986.

"That's awesome," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "I'm sure that Steeler fans back home are going crazy because we ran the ball for 100 and had two guys do it. That's just awesome. I think it shows what we can do if we put our minds to it."

Roethlisberger completed all but eight of 30 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns, and continued an early-season bond with wide receiver Antonio Brown that's already yielded 22 receptions for 296 yards. Brown is fifth in the league in those categories this season alone, and is second in the NFL in catches and yards over the last 19 games.

On defense, the Steelers will be without rookie linebacker Ryan Shazier this week thanks to a sprained right knee, while second-year man Jarvis Jones is out for at least eight weeks with a broken wrist.

Cornerback Ike Taylor, who arrived in Pittsburgh in 2003, is also gone with a broken right forearm.

Veteran stalwart James Harrison, released after the 2012 season, was re-signed on Tuesday to provide depth. He had two sacks in 15 games for the Cincinnati Bengals last year. Sean Spence and Arthur Moats, who combined for six tackles and a sack against Carolina, are expected to get their first 2014 starts in place of Shazier and Jones.

Moats, who had the sack, had not recorded one since he was with Buffalo in 2011.

"As a competitor," he said, "you want to go in there when the game is heated like that and it's still a meaningful game."

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Back to Big Numbers

Martin was a 1,400-plus yard revelation for the Bucs in 2012, but has played in just seven games since with myriad injuries. If he's indeed ready to go on Sunday, he could provide instant issues for a Steelers defense that's been pushed around for 5.5 yards per carry by opposition running backs through three games. If Martin is less than 100 percent, it's Bobby Rainey, who's averaged 5.3 yards on 37 carries.

Ready for Primetime?

The Bucs allowed no more than 92 yards to any one receiver through initial losses to Carolina and St. Louis, which came by a total of eight points. But when faced with a premier QB/WR combination last week against the Falcons, they saw Julio Jones catch nine Matt Ryan passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns. It's no less daunting a task stopping Roethlisberger and Brown this week.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The Steelers of 2014 may or may not be close to the Steelers of recent Mike Tomlin Era vintage. But a meeting with a stumbling 0-3 team on home turf after returning from a convincing road win is about as ideal a mixture as could be concocted to produce another dose of success.

Unless the Bucs come up with an answer to Brown in the air and Bell/Blount on the ground, it could be another long afternoon.

Sports Network predicted outcome: Steelers 30, Bucs 17