This one is truly in the eye of the beholder.
This could be considered a courageous comeback, historic even in terms of franchise history, against a team that was among the best in the NFL this season at running the ball and stopping the run. It was an away victory, the first for this staff. This is a second consecutive victory, also the first for this technical staff. It was an overtime victory on the road, yet another first for this coaching staff.
The quarterback was masterful in the fourth quarter and overtime. Across the rest of the roster, significant contributions were made by veterans and promising newbies. And most importantly, it was money when it mattered most.
Or… It could be seen as a happy ending to a match they weren’t prepared to play at first against an opponent who was 1-4 because they knew how to keep matches close but not how to win them. An opponent starting a rookie at quarterback. And on top of all that, it was a lucky win following the worst example of Steelers coaching incompetence in clock management in forever. Too many untimely sanctions; only 2 for 4 in the red zone; and the 42-year-old quarterback once again took too many hits – 5 sacks, 10 total hits.
All of the above are just perceptions, but the quantifiable way to sum up Sunday’s 26-19 overtime win in Tampa against the Buccaneers is that it put them at 4-2 on the season, in a mathematical tie with Cleveland and Baltimore atop the AFC North. And with two weeks until Halloween, there are almost 3 full months of the regular season remaining.
“Oh, 4-2,” coach Mike McCarthy said when asked to evaluate his team’s season so far. “I think you are what your record is. I believe it – I live that and I pay close attention to it. We needed a road win and we did that today. That’s a big step for us. We needed to stack two wins in a row, that’s another big step. Those are pieces of confidence that you gain as a football team.”
An NFL season is an 18-week journey divided into segments, and the idea is to “survive and progress” through those segments while finding ways to win games. Polishing what looks good and refurbishing what doesn’t is always on the agenda. But the WL numbers are paramount.
Their own numbers at this point are solid. In the AFC, only Buffalo and Kansas City have 5 wins, with the Steelers in a group of 6 at 4-2. And McCarthy has a better idea of what he wants to see from what he has, which gives each week of preparation direction and focus.
“We had two weeks of preparation in practice where the head coach was monitoring everything and he thought this was how things were supposed to go,” McCarthy said. “And these are obstacles that you overcome in the first year of your program. We had a good two weeks of (preparation). We won our first away game, we stacked two in a row, and now we (have) a very unique challenge going to Paris and we’re excited.”
Some of the excitement might come from a more aggressive defense with its pressure packages, and players have responded with an uptick in production. In the 3 games leading up to the trip to Tampa, TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig totaled 1 sack. During the 4-game stretch before traveling to Tampa, the Steelers averaged 2 sacks and 5.7 QB hits per game. Not enough. Not close enough.
As McCarthy weighed what he needed versus what he saw, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham moved from the booth to the sidelines. And then against the Buccaneers, the Steelers were more aggressive, as evidenced by 2 sacks from a CB (Ramsey) and hits on the QB from a safety (Jaquan Brisker) and an ILB (Patrick Queen).
“We needed to (be more aggressive). We all needed it. The coaches needed it, the players needed it and everyone wanted it,” McCarthy said. “It didn’t matter who we were playing today. The young guy (Jalon Daniels), I thought he played well to be where he is in his NFL journey. The (defensive) pressure part is important. We committed to that in spring and training camp. So that was what we all wanted. I was happy to see us get into the pressure menu a little bit more.”
Offensively, the Steelers are currently facing a wide receiver situation. Michael Pittman Jr. is 2 weeks into IR with a foot injury and Roman Wilson is 1 week into IR with a finger/hand injury. The solution so far has been to turn to their trio of TEs – Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and Robert Tonyan – and fast-track rookie Germie Bernard.
Against Indianapolis, Bernard 6 made catches for 80 yards, then against the Buccaneers it was 11 catches for 87 yards including a 6-yard TD in overtime. But also against the Buccaneers, there was that third down that at one point was good for a first down, only to become a 3-and-out when he made a football move to get behind the line for the gain and was tackled there. Imagine that to be part of the next pop quiz, Rodgers gave the young WRs during the week.
“Yeah, I love everything he does,” McCarthy said of Bernard. “I mean, he accepted the challenge. We’ve got a lot on our plate and he’s taking it on. And yeah, I mean decision-making… If he breaks the tackle (on that unfortunate third down), then you applaud him, but we have some fundamentals that we practice in those situations. He’ll learn from that one in particular, but he’s playing really good football for us.”
The trip to France is next on the itinerary, then there’s a Nov. 1 rematch with the Browns and a chance for revenge this Thursday night in Cleveland. Their bye comes after that, and then it’s a nine-game stretch that will determine their playoff prospects and define their 2026 season.
An overtime win against a 1-4 opponent starting a rookie QB, warts and all, is still a step they needed to take.
“Tough victory. It’s never easy,” McCarthy said. “Most importantly, I thought the crowd was phenomenal. To see the Terrible Towels appear and especially during key moments of the match in the fourth quarter and overtime. It was special, it’s a special road win.”
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