The Pittsburgh Steelers dropped their second preseason contest of 2025, falling 17-14 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday night. With 22 regulars held out, the focus was squarely on depth evaluation and roster battles. Tampa Bay struck early, capitalizing on a Mason Rudolph interception to set up a 15-yard touchdown pass from Teddy Bridgewater to Bucky Irving. Bridgewater added a second score later in the first quarter, finding rookie Emeka Egbuka in the corner of the end zone for a 14-0 lead. Pittsburgh responded before the quarter ended, as Rudolph connected with Brandon Johnson from two yards out to cut the deficit in half.
The middle quarters saw the Steelers’ reserves settle in. Skylar Thompson engineered a 12-play, 91-yard drive in the third, with rookie running back Kaleb Johnson carrying six times for 34 yards on the march. Trey Sermon capped it with a one-yard plunge to tie the game at 14. Both teams traded empty possessions in the fourth until Tampa Bay linebacker Antonio Grier Jr. intercepted Logan Woodside, setting up Chase McLaughlin’s 42-yard game-winning field goal with three seconds remaining. Turnovers proved costly for Pittsburgh, as all three quarterbacks threw interceptions, two of which led directly to Buccaneers points.
Several young Steelers stood out despite the loss. Wide receiver Roman Wilson continued his strong preseason, hauling in two passes for 72 yards, including a 42-yard strike that set up the team’s first touchdown. Kaleb Johnson rebounded from a quiet opener with 50 rushing yards on 11 carries, showing improved burst and vision. First-round pick Derrick Harmon notched his first sack, bull-rushing through the line to drop Kyle Trask. Running back Lew Nichols III made the most of limited touches, breaking multiple tackles on a 37-yard run, while undrafted safety Sebastian Castro led the defense with five tackles, displaying range and physicality.
While the result won’t impact the standings, the performance offered valuable tape for coaches to assess emerging contributors. With the preseason finale against Carolina looming, Pittsburgh’s staff will weigh these outings heavily in shaping the final 53-man roster. For players like Wilson, Johnson, Harmon, Nichols, and Castro, Saturday’s effort strengthened their cases to carve out meaningful roles when the games begin to count.
The Steelers will close out their preseason schedule on the road against the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on Thursday, August 21.