The Steelers’ October 21, 2001 trip to Tampa turned into a defensive grind, but Pittsburgh found one play that cracked it open.
Jerome Bettis, who spent the day punishing the Buccaneers on the ground, also authored the kind of surprise snap that changes a game. His 32-yard touchdown pass to Jerame Tuman gave the Steelers a lead they never gave back, and Bettis later added a 46-yard rushing score as Pittsburgh beat Tampa Bay 17-10.
That result fit the broader run of the series. The Steelers came into the matchup having won 10 of 12 against the Buccaneers, who joined the league in 1976 and were 6-1 in Tampa against Pittsburgh heading into Sunday’s visit there.
Pittsburgh’s roster was in a transitional stretch in 2001. The Steelers had gone 9-7 the year before and finished third in the AFC Central behind Tennessee and Baltimore, missing the playoffs.
In the 2001 draft, they used their first-round pick on Casey Hampton and their second on Kendrell Bell. Kordell Stewart remained the starting quarterback, while Tommy Maddox - signed in June after winning the XFL’s MVP award earlier that year - became the backup after an impressive preseason.
For the first time in three decades, the Steelers also had a quarterback coach, and after Coach Cowher moved on from offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, tight ends coach Mike Mularkey was promoted to take over that role.
Stewart was backed by a team that had started slowly but was settling in. After a 21-3 loss to the Jaguars in the opener, Pittsburgh won three straight before heading to Tampa.
The Buccaneers brought in their own familiar face on the sideline. They were coached by former Steelers defensive coordinator Tony Dungy and started veteran quarterback Brad Johnson, a free agent addition from the offseason.
The game itself opened like a stalemate. Tampa intercepted Stewart on Pittsburgh’s first possession, but the turnover went nowhere. The first quarter became a punting duel, with neither offense able to seize control.
Pittsburgh’s defense then started to tilt the field. Deshea Townsend delivered a sack for a 9-yard loss that helped end a Tampa drive with a 31-yard field goal.
On the Steelers’ next meaningful series, Stewart found Troy Edwards, Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress to move the ball to the Buccaneers’ 32. Then came the play everyone remembers: on third-and-2, Bettis took Stewart’s pitch, drifted right, pulled the defense toward him and lofted a pass over the top to Tuman for a 32-yard touchdown.
Kris Brown added the extra point, and Pittsburgh took a 7-3 lead into halftime.
The Steelers kept pressing after the break. Tampa went three-and-out to start the second half, and Bettis answered again, this time as a runner.
He cut through the line, then outran the secondary for a 46-yard touchdown that stretched the lead. Brown later hit a 35-yard field goal, pushing the margin to 17-3 before the final quarter.
Tampa finally mounted something late, starting a drive at its own 20 with four minutes left. Johnson completed enough passes to get the Buccaneers moving and finished it with a 5-yard touchdown to Frank Murphy.
But that was as close as they got. Mark Bruener recovered the onside kick to end it.
The official line read: Pittsburgh 17, Tampa Bay 10.
Bettis’ touchdown pass was only the second of his NFL career. He finished with three in all, including a 21-yard strike to Hines Ward against the Ravens in 1999 and a 10-yard pass to Jerame Tuman against the Jets in 2004.
“I knew we could get after the quarterback,” said Joey Porter, who finished with a career-high four sacks, one shy of Joe Greene’s team record.
Steelers defensive coordinator Tim Lewis said, “Almost every third down we came after them. I was bringing everybody. I brought everybody but Coach Cowher.”
Pittsburgh closed that season 13-3, won its 15th division title and earned the AFC’s top seed. The Steelers beat the Ravens 27-10 before falling 24-17 to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
The Buccaneers’ season took a different turn the following year. They reached their first Super Bowl, beat the Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII, and Brad Johnson led the way in that title-game win.
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