Why Fitzpatrick & the Bucs will surprise us again and beat the Steelers
When Fitzpatrick took for himself the helm of the Buccaneers offense, no one really thought he’d be able to pull off two massive successes to kick off their season, but he did. Now, Tampa Bay will seek to convert another win from ambivalent odds and turn that double victory into a glorious threesome. The Bucs will receive a struggling Steelers team on the evening of the 22nd, for the Monday Night Football Week 3 closer. The match will be held at the Raymond James Stadium (8:15 pm EST).
Tampa Bay (2-0) has been one of the best surprises of 2018, snatching two victories over the Eagles (27-21) on week 1 and a second versus the Saints in a game that saw the score board jump to nearly 90 combined points. The Steelers have gone to the opposite side of expectations, starting off their season with the backing of football pundits all over, but later giving up ground to end up near the bottom of the worst defense charts, right next to the Chiefs and the Bills with 31.5 allowed points per game in average.
Odds makers have been throwing more fire into the discussion: our friends at YOUWAGER.eu currently list the Steelers as tiny favorite with a -1 spread, while the total sits at a large 54 o/u.
Can the Steelers turn the tables on Week 3?
Even if only for the wrong reasons, Pittsburgh is the cause of much speculation these days; it makes little sense that, while in control of one of the toughest lineups in the league, they’d take a pounding from the Chiefs on week 2, and come out with a tie to the Browns before that. The fandom remains still hopeful and about 30% of online sports experts believe they might finally get their comeback on Monday.
In the meantime, Le’Veon Bell has been having a wonderful time in the beaches of Miami, apparently oblivious to the fact that his team has slowly –but resolutely- removed him from the team charts; he’s lost tremendous monetary quantities by keeping out of the first regular season games. Trade talks have also taken more serious form as the Steelers are beginning to consider a swap possibility for the famed running back.
A Star is Born
Who would have thought that, at 35 years of age, Ryan Fitzpatrick would reach the potential pinnacle of his career. Having stepped in for Jameis Winston after his early season suspension, he’s nearly injured himself while keeping his team afloat and making some great scoring plays on the side. With a record that includes 4 touchdowns and 819 passing yards, Fitzpatrick has taken for himself a pre-eminent role in the NFL this year, bringing some Tampa Bay followers to apply some little pressure and ask head coach Dirk Koetter to keep the fill-in quarterback at the head of his squad and leave Winston on the backburner for later emergencies. So far, Koetter hasn’t made any clear statements in that particular regard.
In statistical terms, the Bucs have managed to successfully cover the spread during their last four games, and the under has won 5 out of 6 times while at Tampa Bay’s home turf. The Steelers have been grappling to keep their heads above water, failing to cover 8 times from a total of 9 recent matches.
My Prediction: Pittsburgh will need better steel to make a worthy incursion into the pirate hive. Fitzpatrick will give his all to crown his 3-game participation with a perfect 3-0 score… and not much else to say.
