The Pittsburgh Steelers are sitting pretty at 4-2 after pulling off a wild 26-19 comeback win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, their first win streak of the year. What a game! It was a real roller coaster, especially when you look at how some of these guys performed.
Rodgers’ Roller Coaster: From Rough Start to Clutch Finisher
Man, Aaron Rodgers made this game a tough one to grade. For about 50 minutes, he looked rough, flat out. We’re talking three points through three and a half quarters, which is not good, not good at all. The offense was lifeless, dysfunctional even. Rodgers took five sacks, and you can definitely pin a lot of that on his lack of mobility, which totally showed up in this one. But then, BOOM! Fourth quarter and overtime hit, and it was vintage Rodgers all the way. The dude led two touchdown drives and every single one of those five drives in the fourth quarter and overtime ended with points. He finished with 253 yards and two scores, even with an early interception that was honestly more on Darnell Washington than him. It was a mixed bag, no doubt, but Rodgers keeps finding ways to get Pittsburgh the wins.
The Run Game: Dowdle’s Return and Warren’s Workload
The run game was an interesting story in this one. At one point, the Steelers went a dozen straight plays without a single run, which sounds wild, but hey, they were down 13 points in the fourth quarter and trying to claw their way back. Overall, they averaged four yards per carry, which is pretty much baseline for a mid-level run game. Rico Dowdle made a nice return to the lineup, ripping off 40 yards on seven carries, so that’s nearly six yards a pop. Jaylen Warren, who came into this game red hot with three straight games over 100 scrimmage yards, added 50 rushing yards. He still led the backfield with over a 70% snap share, but he averaged under four yards per carry in what was definitely a passing game script, limiting his opportunities. It wasn’t the focal point of the offense, but you can’t say they played bad either. Just a largely fine performance.
Bernard’s Record-Breaking Day and the Game-Winning Touchdown
Alright, let’s talk about Germie Bernard. This kid, man. He’s got “top wide receiver in 2027” written all over him, and honestly, maybe even before the end of 2026. He had an early hiccup, running back behind the line to gain on fourth down, but he more than made up for that throughout the rest of the game. He absolutely exploded, setting a Steelers rookie receiver record with 11 receptions for 87 yards, capped off with the game-winning touchdown! Can you believe that? Him and DK Metcalf were the only receivers to catch a pass, and both of them just kept making big catch after big catch. This duo, they’ve got some serious potential brewing.
This comeback win and first win streak are huge for the Steelers. With Bernard making history and Rodgers still finding ways to get it done, you gotta be hyped for what’s next. What a moment for this team!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Behind the Steel Curtain.
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