For three quarters, it looked like the Steelers were headed for a bad Sunday. Then the fourth quarter flipped everything.
Pittsburgh erased a 16-3 deficit, stormed back to force overtime and walked out with a 26-19 win over the Buccaneers. The Steelers are now 4-2, while the Bucs fell to 1-5.
The comeback came with a burst of pressure and a flood of yards. Pittsburgh piled up 230 yards in the fourth quarter alone and turned the game with two Jalon Daniels interceptions. The Steelers’ scoring marches in that stretch covered 68, 24, 37 and 2 yards, and Chris Boswell kept dragging them back into it.
Boswell’s 58-yard field goal tied the game at 16-16 with 1:55 left. Two plays later, former Bucs cornerback Jamel Dean jumped Daniels for an interception and returned the errant throw 40 yards before Daniels pushed him out of bounds at the Tampa Bay 3.
Pittsburgh still couldn’t punch it in for a touchdown, but Boswell answered again with a 20-yard field goal with 1:21 remaining to give the Steelers their first lead of the day.
That wasn’t the finish, though. Tampa Bay got just enough time to answer, and Chase McLaughlin delivered from 53 yards with eight seconds left to tie it 19-19. It was his fourth field goal of the game after earlier makes from 43, 47 and 52 yards.
The Steelers finally finished the job in overtime. After getting the kickoff, Aaron Rodgers put together a 12-play, 70-yard drive that ate 6:45 off the 10-minute period. He capped it with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Germie Bernard, his seventh overtime win.
Tampa Bay still had one last chance. The Buccaneers pushed across midfield before Jalen Ramsey ended it on fourth-and-8 with 1:06 left in overtime, sacking Daniels to shut the door. Ramsey finished with two sacks, matching Nate Herbig.
Rodgers was under fire much of the afternoon. The Bucs sacked him five times and made life miserable, but he still finished 33 of 49 for 253 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. DK Metcalf led the Steelers with 11 catches for 93 yards, and Bernard also had 11 receptions for 87 yards and the game-winning score.
Pittsburgh finished with a 300-224 edge in total offense.
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Bucs Inactive List Creates One Big Problem Against Pittsburgh
The Buccaneers arrived for Week 6 already thin in a few key spots, and their inactive list only sharpened the edge of the matchup with Pittsburgh. Baker Mayfield and Antoine Winfield Jr. are both out with multi-week injuries, which keeps Tampa Bay without its starting quarterback and one of its most important defenders as it tries to navigate another difficult week.
Easton Stick is back as the backup quarterback for the third straight game, while the backfield got another shake-up with Sean Tucker inactive and Josh Williams elevated for the game. The Steelers brought their own list of absences into the afternoon as well, including receivers Ben Skowronek and Roman Wilson, while cornerback Jamel Dean was active and Sean Murphy-Bunting was not, leaving both sides to work around some familiar lineup uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Face A Brutal Test If Two Problems Don't Improve
Bucky Irving gave Tampa Bay exactly the kind of spark it needed last week, piling up a career-high 165 rushing yards and adding a rushing-plus-receiving touchdown against Dallas. If the Buccaneers are going to keep up that momentum against Pittsburgh, they may need Irving to stay central to the plan while the offense also gets quarterback Jalon Daniels into a cleaner early rhythm.
The matchup gets even trickier if Tampa Bay cannot tighten up two areas that have been lagging. The Bucs have had trouble getting after the quarterback, with only six sacks in five games, and they are still waiting for a first-career sack from Rueben Bain Jr., while also having to deal with Steelers back Jaylen Warren and the usual turnover battle that can swing a close game fast. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Goedeke Is Becoming A Bucs Strength Where Fans Once Worried
Luke Goedeke has gone from an early source of concern to one of the more dependable pieces on Tampa Bays offensive line. After beginning his career with the Buccaneers at left guard and running into real growing pains, he found a better fit at right tackle and has settled in as a steady pass protector beside Tristan Wirfs.
The result has been a far more secure edge for the Bucs than many fans expected when Goedeke first arrived. His consistency has given Tampa Bay a valuable presence on the line and a reminder that development in the NFL is not always linear, especially for linemen who need the right position and the right role to show what they can do. [Read more 🡒]