Buccaneers Shaquil Barrett on Steelers: 'We Gave Them The Game'

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- It might surprise you to learn the Pittsburgh Steelers didn't beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

But that's exactly what happened, according to outside linebacker, Shaquil Barrett.

"Good teams don't come out here and lose a game on stuff that we did," Barrett said after the game. "They didn't even do anything to win the game, we gave them the game."

But that wasn't meant as disrespect toward the Steelers as much as it was an indictment of what he and his teammates failed to accomplish.

Asked what the team's identity is six weeks into the season, Barrett said, "We can play a good couple of quarters, we can play a good half, but we still don't know how to put it together for all four quarters...We got the right guys on the team, but we gotta put it together."

Without taking away the plays made by Pittsburgh, the Bucs' linebacker has a point.

Three different times, Tampa Bay's offense brought the deficit to just one point, and their final score of the game brought it to just two.

The entire game, Tom Brady and his offense were within range of taking control of the contest.

But three three-and-outs and failed attempts from inside the Steelers' 20-yard line three times choked points off the board and kept a lead out of reach.

In fact, the Bucs' offense left a total of 12 points off the board when you consider the difference between capitalizing with touchdowns instead of field goals in the red zone.

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On defense, the game was much better, and they'd only given up 13 points through eight possessions while holding Pittsburgh's offense to just 3-of-11 on third downs.

On the ninth and 10th drives of the game for their opponents, however, Barrett's unit gave up four straight third down conversions - including three with 11-yards or more to gain.

They also surrendered the final touchdown of the game, stretching the one-point deficit to eight.

Even special teams got in on the act.

While Ryan Succop was perfect on four field goal tries, a second-half kickoff returned by Steelers return specialist Steven Sims set them up on the Bucs' seven-yard line.

The defense held Pittsburgh to a field goal, but those three points proved to be impactful nonetheless.

It's a team game, and this was a team loss.

As Barrett said, the Buccaneers have the players. They just have to figure it out.

And there's another opponent waiting for them in Week 7, hoping to keep them in search of answers for another weekend.

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