Steelers Stun Buccaneers in Overtime Thriller: Rodgers Leads 26-19 Comeback Victory

Pittsburgh Steelers stun Buccaneers 26-19 in OT thriller; Rodgers engineers comeback, Boswell perfect TAMPA — The Pittsburgh Steelers picked up a statement road victory Sunday, rallying from a 13-3 halftime deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-19 in overtime and improve to 4-2 on the season. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns, including the six-yard game-winner to rookie wideout Germie Bernard, while kicker Chris Boswell drilled all four field-goal attempts—two from beyond 50 yards—to force overtime and seal the win. Key takeaways • Vintage Rodgers: The 40-year-old completed 33-of-49 passes and guided scoring drives on Pittsburgh’s final four possessions, erasing a 16-3 deficit in the fourth quarter. • Clutch Boswell: Boots of 52, 39, 58 and 20 yards kept the Steelers within striking distance and put them ahead before Tampa Bay’s last-second kick pushed the game to OT. • Defense tightens: After surrendering 13 first-half points, coordinator Patrick Graham’s unit produced two takeaways and held the Bucs to 61 second-half rushing yards. Linebacker Payton Wilson led with 11 tackles. Injury and roster notes Pittsburgh was without rookie receiver Roman Wilson (IR, shoulder) and placed cornerback Cory Trice on short-term IR Saturday, elevating veteran Levi Wallace for depth. Tight end Pat Freiermuth was added to the injury report (hamstring) but dressed and played 19 snaps. No new injuries were reported postgame, a relief for head coach Mike McCarthy ahead of a pivotal AFC North stretch. What the win means The victory pulls the Steelers into a three-way tie atop the AFC North with Baltimore and Cleveland at 4-2, while dropping Tampa Bay to 1-5 in the NFC South race. Pittsburgh also improves to 1-2 away from Acrisure Stadium, an important tiebreaker metric come December. Stat sheet • DK Metcalf: 11 receptions, 93 yards. • Jaylen Warren: 14 carries, 50 yards; 4 catches, 41 yards. • Steelers time of possession: 38:36 to 31:24. • Third-down defense: 13-of-19 Bucs drives ended without a conversion. Next up The Steelers return home for a Week 7 Sunday-night showdown against the 3-3 Atlanta Falcons, their final game before the Week 8 bye. Expect McCarthy’s squad to focus on red-zone efficiency after converting only two of four trips in Tampa, and monitor Freiermuth’s practice participation as Pittsburgh aims to keep Rodgers’ hot hand rolling into the season’s midpoint.