The Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked like they were cruising to an easy win; they led the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-3 after three quarters. The Steelers’ offense looked completely ineffective, but quarterback Aaron Rodgers is no stranger to fourth-quarter heroics.
Rodgers found wide receiver Darnell Washington for Pittsburgh’s first score, cutting the lead to 16-10. Then three straight Chris Boswell field goals from 39, 58, and 20 yards put the Steelers up 19-16 with 1:21 left in the fourth quarter.
Then undrafted rookie free agent quarterback Jalon Daniels got his chance for some heroics of his own. Daniels got the Buccaneers into field goal range, and kicker Chase McLaughlin sent the game to overtime with a 53-yard field goal.
In overtime, the Steelers got the ball first, and Rodgers led a surgical drive downfield. It ended with a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Germie Bernard, who stretched out for the goal line and put them up 26-19.
Daniels made it interesting, converting a fourth-down run on the Tampa Bay drive; however, Pittsburgh cornerback Jalen Ramsey ended the game with a sack on Daniels on the next fourth-down attempt.
Rodgers had a solid day, going 33 of 49 for 253 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception for the Steelers. Jaylen Warren led the ground game with 50 yards on 14 carries. Ricco Dowdle carried the ball 7 times for 40 yards and played a pivotal role in the team’s overtime drive. DK Metcalf caught 11 passes for 93 yards, his season-high and the second-most he’s had in a game this season. Bernard also caught 11 passes for 87 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown.
The Steelers’ star of the game was Jalen Ramsey. The veteran had 10 tackles and 2 sacks, including the game-clinching sack. The win keeps Pittsburgh in contention for the division title in the ultra-competitive AFC North. The Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens are also 4-2, while the Bengals are 3-2 and off this week. They have the tiebreaker over the Ravens but lost their head-to-head matchup with the Browns, so Cleveland is currently in first place. Soak it in, Browns fans.
