The Tampa Bay Buccaneers remain in pursuit of home-field advantage for the NFC playoffs, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of several AFC teams trying to secure a playoff berth. It should all make for a great Monday Night Football (ABC, 9 ET) game.

The Steelers (8-5-1) still believe in a physical style of offense. Although they are throwing the football more than they have in the past, they bring the running game with Jerome Bettis. Tommy Maddox is still not in the rhythm he was in before he suffered a serious concussion. As I look at the coaching tape, he's not as accurate and doesn't seem to be as comfortable.

The Pittsburgh defense is playing more consistently than it was early in the season. It's hard to get a barometer on them, though, because the last two teams they played -- Carolina or Houston -- aren't offensive juggernauts. Statistically, the Steelers have gotten better, but I'd like to see them against a stronger opponent, like the Bucs on Monday.

Everyone knows about Tampa Bay's defense, which is ranked No. 1 in the NFL and especially tough against the pass. But I see some things that still bother me about the Bucs' offense. The offensive line has been inconsistent, and the running game at times has been nonexistent. The constant has been Brad Johnson. He and the passing game have carried the Bucs' offense.

Here are the keys to Monday night's game:

Five keys for Steelers
1. Pressure Johnson: He has been using the three- and five-step drop all season because the Bucs haven't had great pass protection. They have gone to the short, quick passing game. Pass protection will be paramount. The Steelers are a 3-4 team that runs a lot of blitz combinations. They want to pressure Johnson like they did last year, when they sacked him 10 times.

2. Tight press coverage: The Steelers can't allow the Bucs' receivers off the line. They are not the kind of receivers who will blow by defensive backs. But the Steelers need to break down the timing and rhythm of Johnson and his receivers by getting physical with them at the line of scrimmage.

3. Inside power: The Steelers' power running game inside will be critical. They must have a conviction to stay with the run. Teams that have been willing to pound the ball inside have moved the ball against the Bucs; it has been Tampa Bay's defensive weakness. Without Anthony McFarland, the Bucs will be playing Chartric Darby inside, just off the center. The Steelers need to double-team him, push him back to the linebackers and create some running room inside.

4. High-percentage passing: It's difficult to get the ball down the field against the Bucs' defense because quarterbacks don't normally get enough time to throw deep. The Bucs' edge pass rushers -- Simeon Rice and Greg Spires -- are having terrific seasons. The Steelers must go with a high-percentage, quick-passing game from Maddox.

5. Ball security: The Steelers have struggled when they turn the ball over and shorten the field for the other team's offense. If there is a blemish on Maddox's game, he throws too many interceptions. His interception rate is the highest in the AFC, and only Kurt Warner is higher for the NFL. He needs to be careful to read the coverage properly and throw accurately or he will be intercepted by a standout secondary.

Five keys for Bucs
1. Be prepared for 3-4: No one does a better job with the 3-4 defense than Pittsburgh. In fact, I think the Steelers invented the 3-4. Fortunately for the Bucs, they have played Atlanta twice this season, so they've seen it. But the Steelers do it differently. They blitz more and have people in the 3-4 scheme who can blitz. The Bucs must be prepared.

2. Quick passing: Johnson must get the ball out of his hands quickly. He can't hold on to the football. Last year, the Steelers pounded Johnson into the ground because he held the ball too long. Plus, his line didn't do a good job. In the short passing game, Johnson needs to make quick reads.

3. Coverage confusion: The Bucs' defense will mix its coverages to try and confuse Maddox, who gets himself in trouble with interceptions. The Bucs will try to disguise their coverages and force him to make bad reads.

4. Throw the football: The Bucs have shown no ability to consistently run the ball or sustain their offense by running the ball. They are a passing team. They must maintain that same approach.

5. Stop the run early: The Steelers will try to come out and run early in the game. That means the Bucs must stop it right away. They don't want the Steelers to get confident that they can move the ball with a physical style of play. They need to make the Steelers one-dimensional and then confuse Maddox with their coverages.

Former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski, who played 15 seasons with the Rams, Eagles, Dolphins and Chiefs, is an analyst on "Edge NFL Matchup" and "Monday NFL Countdown."