The Tampa Bay Buccaneers host a surging Pittsburgh Steelers squad without their starting quarterback, needing every break to extend a one-game winning streak.
Game details
| When | Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET |
| Where | Raymond James Stadium |
| TV | CBS |
| Line | Pittsburgh Steelers -2.5 | O/U 39.5 (market view) |
| Pittsburgh Steelers record | 3-2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers record | 1-4 |
Overview
Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh meet Sunday, October 18, 2026 at Raymond James Stadium with kickoff set for 1:00 PM ET on CBS. Weather is expected to be mostly clear with a temperature near 78 degrees and wind up to 21 miles per hour.
The Buccaneers sit at 1-4 but enter on a one-game winning streak after beating the Dallas Cowboys 24-16 in their last outing. Before that they dropped three straight, losing 14-17 to the Green Bay Packers, 16-23 to the Minnesota Vikings, and 19-23 to the Cleveland Browns, with their only other result a 27-33 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers come in at 3-2, also winners of one straight after a 34-22 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Pittsburgh's four games before that went loss to the Cleveland Browns 24-27, win over the Cincinnati Bengals 30-27, loss to the New England Patriots 3-20, and a win over the Atlanta Falcons 20-13.
The betting market has Pittsburgh favored by 2.5 points with a total of 39.5, and the market score projects a 21-19 Steelers win. With Baker Mayfield out for Tampa Bay, the Steelers carry the clearer path on paper, especially with Aaron Rodgers and a productive backfield intact.
Key players
Bucky Irving projects for 13.0 DraftKings points and is the engine of the Tampa Bay backfield as the clear lead running back.
Baker Mayfield is out with a thumb injury, removing Tampa Bay's starting quarterback from the equation entirely.
Aaron Rodgers projects for 18.0 DraftKings points as Pittsburgh's starting quarterback.
Jaylen Warren projects for 17.0 DraftKings points out of the Steelers backfield.
DK Metcalf projects for 9.0 DraftKings points as a starting wide receiver for Pittsburgh.
Keys to the game
Tampa Bay needs Bucky Irving to carry the offensive workload given the uncertainty at quarterback with Mayfield sidelined.
The Buccaneers defense has to find a way to slow Jaylen Warren and Aaron Rodgers, who both project as Pittsburgh's top offensive weapons this week.
Tampa Bay can't afford the kind of three-game skid that bracketed its lone recent win over the Cincinnati Bengals, meaning consistency across four quarters matters against a Steelers team that's also won its last game.
Start Bucky Irving with confidence — his 13.0-point projection leads all Tampa Bay skill players and he's the engine of this offense.
Emeka Egbuka is a reasonable flex play at a 9.0-point projection as the top wide receiver option in the Buccaneers passing game.
Chris Godwin Jr. carries a modest 6.0-point projection, making him more of a bench stash than a confident start this week.
Chase McLaughlin projects for 7.6 points and is worth a look in deeper formats given his volume as Tampa Bay's kicker.
Baker Mayfield is out with a thumb injury — he's an automatic scratch from any lineup this week.
Prediction
The market score has Pittsburgh winning 21-19, and that lines up with the picture painted by the data: a Steelers offense featuring Aaron Rodgers at 18.0 projected points and Jaylen Warren at 17.0, against a Tampa Bay team playing without Baker Mayfield under center. The 2.5-point spread and 39.5 total suggest a close, low-scoring battle, but with the Buccaneers missing their starting quarterback, Pittsburgh's experience and weapons give it the edge to escape Raymond James Stadium with a tight 21-19 win.
Injury report
| Player | Team | Pos | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rico Dowdle | Pittsburgh Steelers | RB | Questionable |
| Michael Pittman Jr. | Pittsburgh Steelers | WR | Out |
| Jamel Dean | Pittsburgh Steelers | CB | Out |
| DeShon Elliott | Pittsburgh Steelers | S | Out |
| Jalen Ramsey | Pittsburgh Steelers | CB | Questionable |
| Baker Mayfield | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | QB | Out |
| SirVocea Dennis | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | LB | Out |
| Benjamin Morrison | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | CB | Out |
| Antoine Winfield Jr. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | S | Out |
Depth chart
| Pos | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
|---|---|
| QB | Baker Mayfield |
| RB | Bucky Irving, Kenny Gainwell |
| WR | Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin Jr., Ted Hurst III |
| TE | Cade Otton |
Recent results
| Team | Last games |
|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Wk5 W 24-16 vs Dallas Cowboys, Wk4 L 14-17 vs Green Bay Packers, Wk3 L 16-23 vs Minnesota Vikings |
In this story
- Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Aaron Rodgers
- Antoine Winfield Jr.
- Baker Mayfield
- Benjamin Morrison
- Bucky Irving
- Cade Otton
- Chase McLaughlin
- Chris Godwin Jr.
- DK Metcalf
- DeShon Elliott
- Emeka Egbuka
- Jalen Ramsey
- Jamel Dean
- Jaylen Warren
- Kenny Gainwell
- Michael Pittman Jr.
- Rico Dowdle
- SirVocea Dennis
- Ted Hurst III
Written by Rhett Zone, an AI analyst, from News Hub Fantasy data (schedule, scores, box scores, injuries and depth charts), and checked against that data before it published automatically. Read how we use AI in our editorial standards.