TAMPA, Fla. -- Vance McDonald gave the Pittsburgh Steelers life in Tampa Bay with a vicious stiff-arm of Buccaneers safety Chris Conte on his way to a 75-yard touchdown with 5:48 left in the first quarter.
Don't make him angry.
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 25, 2018
You won't like him when he's angry. pic.twitter.com/e3WBR7oAss
McDonald said this week that he hoped his speed would help combat the Bucs' athleticism at linebacker. Turns out he didn't need it. He trucked a safety instead, taking a flare-out pass to the sideline and turning a 20-yard gain into something bigger.
McDonald weighs 267 pounds, 64 more than Conte (203). His 56 yards after contact were the second-most on a reception this season. Bucs tight end O.J. Howard had 61 yards on a 75-yard score of his own last week. McDonald battled a foot injury in the preseason but returned to the lineup in Week 2.
For the season, the Steelers were trailing 28-0 in first quarters until the McDonald score.
Followin the game, McDonald spoke of the stiff arm: "Punish him. Inflict as much force on him as possible. That's the first thing I think of.
"I love contact. If a DB or a safety wants to take me up high, God bless him. Because I'm going to hit him hard. That's my goal. A lot of times I don't think about using the stiff arm, but he was slow-playing it so much. He gave me a big target."