This one truly is in the eye of the beholder.
It could be seen as a gutsy comeback, historic even in terms of franchise history, over a team that was among the best in the NFL this season at running the ball and stopping the run. It was a win on the road, the first for this coaching staff. It was a second straight win, also the first for this coaching staff. It was an overtime win on the road, yet another first for this coaching staff.
The quarterback was masterful in the fourth quarter and overtime. Throughout the rest of the roster there were significant contributions made by veterans and up-and-coming newbies alike. And the kicker was money when it counted the most.
Or … It could be perceived as a lucky outcome of a game they weren't prepared to play when it started vs. an opponent that was 1-4 because it knew how to keep games close but not how to win them. An opponent starting a rookie at quarterback. And besides all of that, it was a lucky win following the worst example of Steelers coaching incompetence in the form of clock management since forever. Too many untimely penalties; only 2-for-4 in the red zone; and the 42-year-old quarterback took too many hits – 5 sacks, 10 hits overall – again.
All of the above are perceptions, but the quantifiable way to summarize Sunday's 26-19 overtime win in Tampa vs. 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 it still being two weeks before Halloween, there are almost 3 full months of regular season to go.
"Oh, 4-2," said Coach Mike McCarthy when asked to assess his team's season so far. "I think you are what your record is. I believe that – I live that and I pay close attention to that. We needed a win on the road and we got it done today. This is a big step for us. We needed to stack two wins in a row, that's another big step. Those are chunks of confidence that you gain as a football team."
An NFL season is an 18-week journey that's divided into segments, and the idea is to "survive and advance" through those segments while finding ways to win games. Polish what's looking good and refurbish what isn't is always on the agenda. But the W-L numbers are paramount.
Their own numbers to this stage 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 is getting a better feel for what he wants to see from what he has, which gives each week of preparation a direction and focus.
"We've had two weeks of practice preparation where the head coach is watching everything and he feels that's the way it's supposed to look," said McCarthy. "And those are hurdles you get over in the first year of your program. We've had two good 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."
Part of the excitement could be coming from a defense that was more aggressive with its pressure packages, and the players responded with an uptick in production. In the 3 games that preceded the Tampa trip, T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig totaled 1 sack. During the 4-game segment before going to Tampa, the Steelers averaged 2 sacks and 5.7 hits on the QB per game. Not enough. Not close to enough.
As McCarthy evaluated what he needed vs. what he was seeing, Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham moved from the booth to the sideline. 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 everybody wanted it," said McCarthy. "It really didn't matter who we were playing today. The young man (Jalon Daniels), I thought he played well for being where he is in his NFL journey. The (defensive) pressure part of it is important. We committed to it in the spring and in training camp. So, it was what we all wanted. I was glad to see us get at the pressure menu a little more."
Offensively, the Steelers are currently dealing with something of a situation at wide receiver. Michael Pittman Jr. is 2 weeks into his stint on IR with a foot injury and Roman Wilson is 1 week into his stint on IR with a finger/hand injury. The work-around 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 had catches for 80 yards, and then against the Buccaneers it was 11 catches for 87 yards including a 6-yard TD in OT. But also against the Buccaneers there was that third-down catch that at one point was good for a first down only to become a 3-and-out when he made a football move to go behind the line to gain and was tackled there. Figure that to be part of the next pop quiz Rodgers has been giving young WRs during the week.
"Yeah, I just love everything he's doing," said McCarthy about Bernard. "I mean he's accepted the challenge. We have a lot on his plate and he's handling it. And yes, I mean decision-making … If he the breaks the tackle (on that ill-fated third down) then you're applauding him, but we have 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, and then it's a Nov. 1 rematch with the Browns and a chance for payback for that 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 vs. a 1-4 opponent starting a rookie QB, warts and all, is still a step they needed to take.
'Tough win. They're never easy," said McCarthy. "Most importantly, I thought the crowd was phenomenal. To see the Terrible Towels show up and especially at the key parts of the game in the fourth quarter and overtime. That was special, that's a special road win."
Survive and advance.
