TAMPA BAY -- The Pittsburgh Steelers spent the first half in a hole that looked hard to climb out of. Their offense, which had been rolling over the previous three weeks, went flat, and the team opened with five three-and-outs through the first five quarters.
But once the game turned, so did the Steelers.
The comeback started with rookie Germie Bernard helping push a touchdown drive that ended with a strike to Darnell Washington, trimming the Buccaneers’ lead to 16-10. From there, the defense did its part as well, with rookie Daylen Everette and former Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean each coming away with interceptions.
Even with those takeaways, Pittsburgh still had to grind for every yard. After Dean picked off Daniels and the Steelers took over at the three, they had three cracks at cashing in and settled for a field goal instead. It looked like the kind of moment that might swing the game for good, but the defense then let Tampa Bay advance into range for a tying field goal and overtime.
That sequence came with plenty of frustration attached, especially because of the play calling and clock management from Mike McCarthy. Pittsburgh ran the ball only once after reaching the three-yard line, which meant the Buccaneers had to use just one of their two timeouts.
Then, with Tampa Bay lining up for the tying kick, McCarthy still had 35 seconds left and two timeouts that could have been used to give the Steelers a shot at a game-winning field goal. Instead, the game went to overtime.
The Buccaneers even got the benefit of being able to bring in a more suitable kicking ball instead of being rushed into the field goal they had set up. The whole sequence was messy from a process standpoint.
Still, the Steelers’ defense held up for long stretches and tightened things down in the second half. The offense, though, never found a clean rhythm. The screen game disappeared as the run game faded, and Pittsburgh kept having to fight for modest gains.
That finally changed in overtime. DK Metcalf delivered a huge 3rd-and-13 conversion, and the Steelers kept moving from there, leaning on yards after the catch and getting production from Metcalf and star running back Jaylen Warren.
Then came the finishing touch: rookie Germie Bernard scored his first career touchdown on a hard-earned run and extension, putting Pittsburgh ahead by a touchdown while draining nearly seven minutes off the clock.
It was ugly, but it was enough. The Steelers were far from sharp, yet they kept absorbing punches and never folded, and that resilience carried them to a gutsy win.
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