{"id":3766,"date":"2026-10-19T10:36:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T14:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bwgsteelers.com\/?p=3766"},"modified":"2026-10-19T10:36:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T14:36:19","slug":"steelers-rally-past-bucs-26-19-in-overtime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/bwgsteelers.com\/?p=3766","title":{"rendered":"Steelers Rally Past Bucs 26-19 in Overtime!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Charles Dickens once wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” While that was the opening line of his classic novel A Tale of Two Cities<\/em>, he could have easily been describing the Steelers game on Sunday. That was the exact tale of the Pittsburgh Steelers as they mounted a gutsy comeback, wiping out a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to knock off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-19 in overtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It goes into the standings as a mark in the win column, but man, it is hard to look past Mike McCarthy\u2019s game management late in the fourth quarter. We thought Mike Tomlin had clock trouble, this was flat-out disastrous. McCarthy almost single-handedly lost this game for the Steelers with extremely questionable play-calling down the stretch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After former Buc Jamel Dean picked off Jalon Daniels and returned it to Tampa Bay\u2019s 2-yard line late in the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers had only two timeouts left. All the Steelers had to do was run the ball three times, force Tampa Bay to burn their timeouts, and then kick the field goal. The clock would have been bled down to about 50 seconds before Tampa got the ball back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inexplicably, McCarthy called a passing play on first down and again on third down. Both went incomplete, leaving the Buccaneers with a timeout and 1:21 still on the clock. Sure enough, Tampa Bay drove right down the field and kicked a field goal to send it to OT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were questionable decisions early in the game, too. McCarthy came out with an overly aggressive mentality on offense when a more conservative, ground-based game plan was needed against the NFL\u2019s seventh-ranked defense. The Steelers went for it on fourth down from the Tampa 43-yard line in the first half and handed the Buccaneers prime field position. They capitalized with a touchdown to push their lead to 10-0, making it easy for Tampa’s coaching staff to put Daniels in advantageous situations early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only bright spot on the coaching was Patrick Graham\u2019s defense made the halftime adjustments and held the Bucs to just two field goals after halftime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first half was one of Aaron Rodgers\u2019 worst of his Steelers career. He had just 78 passing yards, and his longest completion went for only 14 yards. Hope began to wane after three quarters as the Steelers trailed 16-3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that was when Rodgers did his finest work. He went 17 for 22 for 153 yards and two touchdowns in the final quarter and overtime to spark the comeback. It was a gutsy effort, but it was almost ruined by another bad late decision: Rodgers took a sack on third down from the Tampa Bay 31-yard line late in the fourth quarter. The 9-yard loss forced Chris Boswell to attempt a 58-yard field goal just to tie the score at 16 with 1:55 remaining in the game. It was one of five sacks Rodgers took on the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having your 42 plus year old quarterback drop back 54 times, behind a leaky offensive line is not a great strategy and that\u2019s probably not the formula the Steelers want to follow going forward, especially when they have two talented backs capable of carrying a heavier load. But give Rodgers credit for getting the job done when everything was on the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jaylen Warren was not featured like he had been in the three games Rico Dowdle missed, but he still made some big plays to help Pittsburgh win. Warren finished with 78 yards from scrimmage and had a clutch 12-yard catch on the touchdown drive in overtime. Warren logged 16 touches in the game while Dowdle had 10 touches for 49 yards in his return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rico Dowdle\u2019s performance was solid, but the flow of the offense was noticeably different without Warren playing most of the game. Dowdle is going to have a role in the offense, but the Steelers must figure out how he fits. The bottom line moving forward: Warren needs more than 16 touches, and he needs to be much more involved than he was early in the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pressed into starting duties due to injuries with Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson on IR, rookie Germie Bernard made a critical mistake early in the game. He turned a first down into a turnover in the first quarter when he ran backward after catching a pass on fourth down. But Rodgers kept going back to him, perhaps because he had no other choice and Bernard redeemed himself in a huge way. He caught 11 passes for 87 yards and caught the winning touchdown in overtime. Rodgers\u2019 confidence in Bernard is growing, and that\u2019s a huge positive for this receiving room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DK Metcalf who has been middling along all season stepped up with 11 catches for 93 yards. He had seven catches for 81 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime alone. He also had a huge fourth quarter during the late rally attempt against Cleveland in Week 4. It would be nice if Rodgers and he could connect earlier in games, but Metcalf stepping up in crunch time has been a great development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a rough day for the offensive line, the Buccaneers had six sacks in their first five games, but they sacked Rodgers five times on Sunday. Rookie Max Iheanachor struggled, as he was responsible for two of those sacks. The coaches are asking a lot of the linemen to pass protect 54 times in a game, especially against a solid defense. The run blocking was a little better as the Steelers averaged 4.0 yards per rush. The answer for the offensive line likely is more running attempts, but don\u2019t hold your breath with Rodgers and Mike McCarthy calling the plays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defensively, the Steelers let Nick Herbig loose on the outside and he responded with his first two sacks of the season. The Steelers had often been using Herbig as an off-ball linebacker, and the adjustment on Sunday paid massive dividends. It was a quiet day for the other outside linebackers as T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Jack Sawyer combined for just five tackles among them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside linebacker Payton Wilson continued his strong play. He was all over the field and led the Steelers with 11 tackles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the secondary, Jamel Dean spent the first seven years of his career with the Buccaneers, and his 40-yard interception return late in the game set up a key field goal. Getting Dean back after he missed a game with an ankle injury was huge for the defense. Jalon Daniels threw the ball 43 times and managed only 164 passing yards. Rookie Daylen Everette also had a second-half interception that set up a field goal; he didn\u2019t start, but the coaches rotated him in for Dean and Asante Samuel Jr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best defender on the field might have been Jalen Ramsey. He had 10 tackles and two sacks, including a takedown of Daniels on fourth down in overtime to seal the victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn\u2019t matter who the coach is, the special teams seem to always be a struggle. Not even Chris Boswell is immune now. He missed his fourth field goal of the season in the first half. He bounced back to make his next three, including the clutch 58-yarder that tied the score with little time left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rest of the special teams unit continues to be a disappointment. The kickoff coverage team allowed a return to the 37-yard line right after a Boswell field goal gave the Steelers the lead. The defense stepped up with Dean\u2019s interception, but better teams will take advantage of situations like that. And it was the same old story for the kickoff return team: Kaden Wetjen had a 60-yard return nullified by two<\/em> separate penalties. Wetjen averaged 26 yards per return with a long of 29, but flags keep erasing explosive plays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rallying from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit shows incredible grit, but the game management has to be cleaned up fast before division play heats up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My \u201cGAME BEER\u201d goes to:<\/strong> Germie Bernard. After making a glaring rookie mistake on fourth down early, he showed incredible toughness by hauling in 11 catches for 87 yards and catching the game-winning touchdown in OT.  Also Considered:<\/em><\/strong> Aaron Rodgers for his 17-for-22 fourth quarter and OT masterpiece, and Jalen Ramsey for a 10-tackle, 2-sack performance that ended the game on 4th down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beer of the Game:<\/strong> Guinness, but there is more to the story than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steel the Snacks:<\/strong> We started the day at the vineyard, watching the game on my phone, then listening to the satellite radio in the car, then finishing the fourth quarter in my local pub. KGB did Steel the snacks with Guava Pastries. We also had boneless wings and steak bites at the pub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My stat of the week:<\/strong> Thirteen points was the biggest fourth quarter comeback since the Steelers beat the Browns in the 2002 Season wild card playoff game! That game was the birth of Renegade. Also considered 17 for 22 for 153 yards and 2 TDs. That was Rodgers\u2019 stat line in the 4th quarter and overtime alone after generating just 78 yards through the first three quarters. What a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My thoughts on next week:<\/strong> The Steelers head to France! For the first time in NFL history the Steelers and Saints will be playing in Paris. If McCarthy stops abandoning the run and gives Jaylen Warren 20+ touches, this offense won’t have to rely on 13-point 4th quarter miracles. If the defense keeps dialing up pressure with Herbig and Ramsey, Pittsburgh can stack another win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jersey of the Week:<\/strong> Still no jersey, it\u2019s been a weird year. I haven\u2019t even unpacked them yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Charles Dickens once wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” While that was the opening line of his classic novel A Tale of Two Cities, he could have easily been describing the Steelers game on Sunday. That was the exact tale of the Pittsburgh Steelers as they mounted a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bwg-gr"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/bwgsteelers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/bwgsteelers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/bwgsteelers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bwgsteelers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bwgsteelers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3766"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/bwgsteelers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3767,"href":"http:\/\/bwgsteelers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3766\/revisions\/3767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/bwgsteelers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bwgsteelers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bwgsteelers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}