Week 3 of the 2018 NFL Season concluded on Monday Night Football with the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-27. Ben Roethlisberger completed 78.9 percent of his passes for 353 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

Tight end Vance McDonald caught four balls for 112 yards while Antonio Brown caught five passes for 80 yards and one touchdown. Tampa struck first, scoring a touchdown after a Pittsburgh turnover, with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick finding tight end Cameron Brate on a four-yard strike and a 7-0 lead.

The Steelers immediately responded when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger found tight end Vance McDonald who stiff-armed a Buccaneer defender to the ground and scored a 75-yard touchdown. The extra-point was no good, and the Buccaneers enjoyed a 7-6 first quarter lead.

Tampa plagued by turnovers

Early in the second quarter, Fitzpatrick found receiver Chris Godwin for a 12-yard gain, but Steelers cornerback Artie Burns forced a fumble recovered by the Steelers at the Tampa 35-yard-line. Two plays later, Roethlisberger found receiver Antonio Brown on a short pass Brown turned into a 27-yard touchdown and a 16-7 lead with 10:33 remaining until halftime.

The ensuing drive for the Buccaneers, six plays, 58 yards, ended when Fitzpatrick's pass was batted at the line and intercepted by cornerback Mike Hilton at the Steelers six-yard line, ending Tampa's scoring threat.

Fitzpatrick threw another interception, Tampa's third turnover of the first half when "FitzMagic" overthrew receiver Mike Evans, and the ball landed in the hands of rookie safety Terrell Edmunds.

After a Steelers punt, Fitzpatrick was intercepted by Bud DuPree who returned the ball ten yards for a Steeler touchdown and a 23-7 lead.

Roethlisberger, with six seconds remaining in the half, found receiver Ryan Switzer for a one-yard touchdown and a 30-10 halftime lead.

Tampa frustrated in the red zone

Tampa opened the third quarter with a 14-play, 65-yard scoring drive, keyed by a third and eighteen conversion to wide receiver Chris Godwin, cutting the lead to 30-13.

The score was the second time the Buccaneers settled for a field goal in the red zone and the drive consumed half the third quarter.

Tampa, aided by a missed field goal as Pittsburgh kicker Chris Boswell continued to struggle in the early part of the season, got the ball back with 1:11 remaining in the third quarter down by 17. Fitzpatrick orchestrated a 12-play, 62-yard drive culminating in a four-yard touchdown pass to receiver Chris Godwin making the score 30-20 with 11:12 remaining in the game.

Tampa forces Steeler punt

After stopping the Steelers on third and eleven, DeSean Jackson electrified the crowd with an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown nullified by a holding penalty. Nonetheless, Tampa had the ball down by ten with just over eight minutes remaining.

Could Fitzpatrick continue the magic? After scrambling for 22 yards, Fitzpatrick found Mike Evans for a 24-yard touchdown cutting the Steeler's lead to 3 with 5:43 remaining and the crowd could sense the comeback. Steelers running back James Conner was having none of it with two big runs of 27 yards and 16 yards. The Steelers faced a key third down with 3:22 remaining.

Roethlisberger could not find receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, forcing a punt and giving Ryan Fitzpatrick a chance to tie the game with a field goal. Tampa promptly went three and out while Roethlisberger and James Conner provided the necessary first downs for Pittsburgh to run out the clock and preserve the victory.

The pupil defeats the master 26-10

When the New England Patriots traveled to Detroit to face the Lions and first-year head coach Matt Patricia who spent 14 seasons with New England, many were expecting future Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick to improve on his 12-4 record against former coaches who served in Foxborough.

The Patriots, favored by seven points and a Lions team reeling after a Week 1 throttling at the hands of the New York Jets 48-17 followed by a 30-27 defeat in San Francisco Week 2, but Chris Berman says "that's why they play the games." Detroit held future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady to 133 passing yards, the fewest of his career in a domed stadium and his fewest passing yards since 2014 in the Lions' 26-10 upset win.

New England was held without a first down on each of their first three possessions since Brady became the starter in 2001. The 16-point loss was their second-largest margin of defeat in the Belichick era with the Patriots favored by seven points or more. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 75 percent of his passes for 262 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Kerryon Johnson, the rookie second-round running back from Auburn, became the first Lion to rush for 100 yards in a game since Reggie Bush accomplished the feat on Thanksgiving Day in 2013. Detroit's fantastic trio of receivers (Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, Kenny Golladay) combined for 16 catches, 191 yards, and two touchdowns.

New England, now 1-2 on the season, are at home Week 4 against the surprising 3-0 Miami Dolphins, where a loss greatly reduces their chances to claim a tenth straight AFC East title.
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