The Steelers left Tampa Bay with a win, but it was the kind that says as much about their flaws as it does about their resilience. Pittsburgh had to erase a 16-3 fourth-quarter deficit and finish the job in overtime to beat the Buccaneers 26-19, after a first half that looked shaky enough to sink them.
That was the strange part of this one: the result was in the standings, but the performance was all over the place. The offense finally found a pulse late, the defense forced two turnovers from rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels, and Pittsburgh escaped. Still, this wasn’t the sort of clean road win that makes a team look ready for bigger things.
The opening 30 minutes were rough. Aaron Rodgers kept getting the ball out almost immediately, repeatedly checking it down with little to show for it.
Pittsburgh also leaned away from the run against Tampa Bay’s tough front, even though the few handoffs they did call produced some good gains. That approach led to a string of short drives, which left the defense handling too much pressure.
The Buccaneers took advantage with chunk plays on third down and built the lead that Pittsburgh spent the rest of the game chasing. Even so, the Steelers managed a field goal to close the half, and that kicked turned out to matter.
Jaylen Warren was another part of the offense that didn’t carry the same punch it had in recent weeks. He wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t the difference-maker he had been over the previous three games either.
His usage before the fourth quarter and overtime was questionable, though Rico Dowdle’s return after missing three games with a toe injury may have played into that. Still, Warren seemed to benefit when he could settle into a rhythm as the lone real backfield option, and this game showed Pittsburgh still isn’t at the point where it can simply hand him the offense.
The defense had its own uneven night. On paper, the numbers looked solid, but the unit gave Tampa Bay too many openings at important moments.
The Steelers played too soft in the secondary against a young quarterback, and Daniels kept converting third downs that turned into points in the first half. They tightened up after the break, but even Tampa Bay’s final possession featured two big plays that let the Buccaneers tie the game with seconds left.
Pittsburgh made life easier in overtime, but the defense still allowed a long fourth-down conversion before finally closing the door.
Rodgers’ night was a perfect example of how thin the margin was. After Week 5 against the Colts, when he got the ball out quickly and the offense leaned on yardage after the catch, this one looked similar on the surface but not nearly as effective.
He threw 49 passes, finished with 253 yards, and averaged just 5.2 yards per attempt. According to Sumer Sports, his average depth of target was 3.91 yards, and his average time to throw was 2.27 seconds.
Pittsburgh won anyway, but the formula was far less efficient and a lot uglier.
Chris Boswell also had a noteworthy night, even with one miss early. He converted four of five field goal tries, including a massive 58-yarder that tied the game at 16 in the fourth quarter.
He also became the Steelers’ all-time leader in field goals made. But the miss was his fourth of the season, and the overall feel around his kicking still seems a little off.
Pittsburgh’s receiving situation only added to the tension. With three receivers out coming into the game, the Steelers still put a huge chunk of the offense on the shoulders of DK Metcalf and Germie Bernard.
Rodgers targeted those two 27 times combined, and Bernard made the most of it, catching 11 of 12 targets for 87 yards. He also scored his first career touchdown, the one that ended up winning the game in overtime.
That’s a major moment for the rookie, but the way Pittsburgh built the plan around a battered receiver group was still a little hard to ignore.
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Steelers Get Needed Backfield Help Before A Bigger Offensive Question
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Mike McCarthy also made it clear the depth chart at running back is not shifting just because Dowdle is available again, with Jaylen Warren still holding the featured role. That leaves the Steelers in an interesting spot as they deal with injury issues at wide receiver and tight end, a situation that could push even more of the offense onto the backs and force the group to do a little of everything. [Read more 🡒]