The Pittsburgh Steelers were down 16-3 when the fourth quarter began in Tampa on Sunday, October 18, and still walked off 26-19 winners in overtime after Aaron Rodgers found rookie Germie Bernard for a 6-yard touchdown with 3:15 left in the extra period.
The comeback lifted Pittsburgh to 4-2 and gave the Steelers their first road victory after two losses away from home. Tampa Bay fell to 1-5, and every one of its five defeats has come by seven points or fewer.
How the game turned
For three quarters the Buccaneers controlled the game. Rodgers threw an interception on Pittsburgh’s first snap of its second possession, and Chase McLaughlin turned the short field into a 43-yard field goal. Emeka Egbuka caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Jalon Daniels on the first play of the second quarter, McLaughlin added a 47-yarder, and only a 52-yard Chris Boswell kick at the halftime horn put Pittsburgh on the board at 13-3. McLaughlin’s 33-yarder late in the third quarter stretched the lead to 13.
Then the Pittsburgh offense found its footing. An eight-play, 68-yard drive ended with Rodgers’ 5-yard scoring throw to tight end Darnell Washington with 13:48 to play. On Tampa Bay’s next series, rookie cornerback Daylen Everette intercepted Daniels, and Boswell’s 39-yarder cut the gap to 16-13. Boswell then tied it from 58 yards with 1:55 left.
The swings were not finished. On the second snap of Tampa Bay’s next series, former Buccaneer Jamel Dean picked off Daniels and returned it 40 yards to the Tampa Bay 2. Pittsburgh could not punch it in, and Boswell’s 20-yarder made it 19-16 with 1:21 remaining. Daniels answered by hitting rookie Ted Hurst for gains of 22 and 13, and McLaughlin, perfect on the season, drilled a 53-yarder with eight seconds left to force overtime.
Pittsburgh received first in the extra period and went 70 yards in 12 plays, using 6:45 of clock before Bernard stretched across the goal line.
Germ! Extension! Six! @oti_germie pic.twitter.com/6AZHDzh8uT
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 18, 2026
Daniels moved the Buccaneers to the Pittsburgh 48 on the final possession, but on fourth down Jalen Ramsey came free and dropped him for an 11-yard loss to end it.
5️⃣ CALLED GAME @jalenramsey pic.twitter.com/T4ZvSG4MuM
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 18, 2026
The numbers that mattered
- Aaron Rodgers: 33 of 49 for 253 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He was sacked five times, all before the fourth quarter. The two scoring passes gave him 539 for his career, level with Peyton Manning for third on the all-time list.
- DK Metcalf: 11 catches for 93 yards on 15 targets, a week after he was targeted four times.
- Germie Bernard: 11 receptions for 87 yards and the winning score.
- Jalen Ramsey: 10 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks. Nick Herbig added two sacks; Payton Wilson led the team with 11 tackles.
- Chris Boswell: 4 of 5 on field goals, long of 58. Chase McLaughlin: 4 of 4, long of 53.
- Jalon Daniels: 22 of 43 for 164 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in his third career start in place of the injured Baker Mayfield. Bucky Irving ran 19 times for 46 yards.
Pittsburgh outgained Tampa Bay 300 to 224, and each defense recorded five sacks. The Buccaneers converted 6 of 19 third downs.
What they said
Rodgers framed the result as a step forward for a team that had stumbled on the road. “This is a trajectory win,” he said after the game. He credited the turnaround to getting Metcalf the ball more often.
Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles kept his assessment short: “We’ve got to be able to finish games.”
Steelers coach Mike McCarthy spent halftime in the medical tent after his foot was stepped on along the sideline, then returned for the second half. Cornerback Brandin Echols left late in the first half with a hamstring injury and did not return. Pittsburgh played without receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson. More on Rodgers’ milestone is in our story on the 539th touchdown pass, and the full box score is in the Game Center.
What comes next
The Steelers face the New Orleans Saints at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday, October 25, at 9:30 a.m. EDT, the first regular-season NFL game played in France. The Buccaneers visit the Carolina Panthers the same day at 1 p.m. EDT.
No published comments yet. Start the conversation.