Gerald McCoy getting his first sack Sunday would go a long way in halting the Bucs defensive woes.

Three weeks into the season the Bucs were on Cloud-9, undefeated and hosting fellow undefeated Pittsburgh.

A win over the Steelers may have launched a magical season for the Bucs. But it was not meant to be as the Steelers played big boy football and pummeled the Bucs on the ground.

Since, the Bucs defense has been in a freefall, so writes eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune.

Pittsburgh’s 38-13 romp has triggered a three-game slide for a defense that had been playing consistently well, holding seven of Tampa Bay’s previous eight opponents to 20 points or fewer.

All four of Tampa Bay’s sacks came during a 20-7 triumph at Carolina in Week 2, yet the Bucs have blitzed sparingly because, according to Morris, they don’t want to leave the secondary exposed for big gains.

The Steelers set the blueprint and, the NFL being a copycat league, Cincinnati and New Orleans have picked up the baton. Yes, the Bucs got over on the Bengals, thanks to forced turnovers.

Of course, later in Kaufman’s story, all the Bucs players he spoke to said all the right things. Joe is more into results than talk. The Bucs could easily turn the page with a stout defensive stand against the Rams.

If not, it would help to force some turnovers against St. Louis. Remember, Sam Bradford is still a green quarterback. If Aqib Talib is to make plays befitting a Pro Bowl player, Sunday against Bradford would be a good start.