The Pittsburgh Steelers were riding high heading into Week 6 after their first double-digit win of the season against the Indianapolis Colts, and their next challenge appeared to be a fairly easy one. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have been coming off a big win on the road against the Cowboys, but they were still 1-4 on the season as Pittsburgh came into town for their matchup this week.
Instead, Pittsburgh needed a furious comeback and an overtime touchdown drive to come away with a 26-19 victory. They entered the fourth quarter down 16-3, but the offense finally came alive, and the defense forced two turnovers off rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels to flip the script.
While they salvaged the win, it was an ugly showing that proves they have a long way to go before they can be taken seriously as a contender. Here are my instant reactions to the Steelers OT win over the Buccaneers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' ugly showing in Tampa Bay revealed the cracks in their roster's foundation despite a win
Steelers nearly doomed themselves with a truly awful first half
If you stopped watching this game after the first two quarters, I don't think I could blame you. Pittsburgh had major issues on both sides of the ball in the first half of play, particularly on offense. Aaron Rodgers outright refused to hold the ball for more than a beat or two, checking the ball down repeatedly despite having no success doing so.
They also seemed afraid of running the ball against the Buccaneers' tough run defense, despite having a few nice runs when they actually did hand the ball off. That led to multiple quick drives that put pressure on the defense, which gave up a few chunk plays on third downs that led to points for the Buccaneers. Somehow, they managed to put together a field goal drive to end the half, which ended up being huge.
Jaylen Warren gets bottled up after dominant three-game stretch
Jaylen Warren was far from bad in this game, and his usage prior to the fourth quarter/overtime was questionable, but he was not as big of a difference-maker this week against the Buccaneers. With Rico Dowdle back after missing three games with a toe injury, it makes some sense that Warren would be given more rest, but he clearly benefited from getting into a rhythm as the only real option in the backfield.
This week doesn't erase how dominant he was in the previous three games, but it does show that the Steelers still aren't ready to lean on him as the offense's primary playmaker.
Steelers' defense struggled in key moments for much of the game
Despite an overall strong performance statistically, the Steelers' defense had multiple poor moments that gave the Buccaneers' offense life. They played way too soft in the secondary against a young QB, and Daniels made them pay with multiple big third-down conversions that led to points in the first half.
They buckled down in the second half for the most part, but even the Buccaneers' final drive saw them give up two big plays that allowed them to tie the game with seconds left to play. Pittsburgh's offense helped make their life a little easier in OT, but even then they still allowed a long fourth-down conversion before finally putting them away.
JALEN RAMSEY CALLS GAME! STEELERS WIN 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/MYHqLZM0jO
— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026
The Aaron Rodgers experience nearly lost Pittsburgh the game
What a difference a week makes, huh? Rodgers was living his best life in Week 5 against the Colts, getting the ball out quickly aside from a few scramble drills. Thanks to a big day after the catch from several of his weapons (especially Warren), the Steelers had their best offensive game of the year despite the low-upside approach.
This week? Same idea, not exactly the same success. Rodgers threw a whopping 49(!) passes in this game, but managed just 253 yards for a 5.2 yards-per-attempt average. His average depth of target was an abysmal 3.91 yards, according to Sumer Sports, and his average time to throw was 2.27 seconds. He got away with it again this week, but it was a lot uglier.
Chris Boswell hits a milestone, but still having an off year
Chris Boswell was largely good in this game, hitting four of his five field goal attempts, including a huge 58-yarder to tie the game at 16 in the fourth quarter. He also became the Steelers' all-time leader in field goals made. Still, he missed his fourth field goal of the season on his first attempt of the day, and something just feels off about him so far this season. Hopefully it's nothing, but it's something to monitor as the season moves along.
Steelers chose to rely on their battered receiving corps, and it nearly cost them
As I mentioned before, Rodgers let it fly 49 times in this game to (mostly) middling success. Considering Pittsburgh entered this game down three of their receivers, it was puzzling at best to see how they chose to operate offensively in this game.
Rodgers targeted just two receivers all game: DK Metcalf and Germie Bernard. That makes sense, of course, but he targeted them a staggering 27 times combined. Bernard caught 11 of his 12 targets for 87 yards, including his first career touchdown that ultimately won the Steelers the game in OT. As promising as that is for the rookie wideout, I can't help but worry about how Mike McCarthy and Rodgers chose to game plan for this game.
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