We have been waiting a long time for this moment. It's been roughly half a year since we have seen the Pittsburgh Steelers take the stage against an opponent. Whether it's exhibition action or not, you can bet we will be watching.
Tonight, Mike Tomlin's team is lacing up to take on the Buccaneers. Last year, quarterback Kenny Pickett got injured early in the game, and many were surprised to see Mitch Trubisky lead his team to a 20-18 victory over Tom Brady and the Bucs.
This year, Pittsburgh's roster looks very different. Tomlin hinted that all available starters will play tonight, so we should get a good look at Pickett and the starting offense. While most of the snaps will likely go to backups tonight, you aren't going to want to miss this preseason action. Here's what you need to know.
What time is the Steelers vs Buccaneers game tonight?
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to face each other tonight, Friday, August 11th, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The game will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida and Tomlin is expected to deploy his starters to begin the game.
This will be the first of two road preseason games that the Steelers will play in 2023. Fortunately, they have an additional home game on their regular-season schedule this year -- playing 9 games at home and 8 games away on their 17-game schedule.
Tonight, Steelers fans will be zeroing in on an impressive rookie draft class that consists of players like Broderick Jones, Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton, Darnell Washington, and Nick Herbig (if healthy). Sadly, CB Cory Trice Jr. was lost for the season already after sustaining a knee injury at Steelers training camp. He was having a solid start to the summer.
In addition to the rookie class, fans will keep a watchful eye on Kenny Pickett as he looks to make a sizeable year-two leap. How much he plays against the Buccaneers in Week 1 of the preseason could be determined by how successful (or unsuccessful) the offense is in the early going. It's probably safe to assume that established All-Pro players like T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick probably won't play much tonight.
You can catch the game locally on FOX or with a subscription to NFL+ (blackout restrictions may apply). For streaming, we recommend using FuboTV.