Tampa Led by 13 Entering the Fourth. Rodgers Took the Whole Damn Game Back.

Pittsburgh trailed 16-3 in the third quarter and still walked out of Tampa with a 26-19 overtime win. That's persistence, sure. It's also a warning not to spend three quarters sleepwalking through a game and assume your quarterback can clean it up forever. Aaron Rodgers eventually did what he needed to do, but the Steelers made the route unnecessarily difficult.

Rodgers went 33-of-49 for 253 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. DK Metcalf had 11 catches for 93 yards, while rookie Germie Bernard added 11 for 87 and the game-winning six-yard touchdown. Jaylen Warren carried 14 times for 50 yards. This wasn't a quick fluky comeback; Pittsburgh kept completing short and medium passes until Tampa couldn't get off the field.

The receiver production was the story. DK Metcalf caught 11 for 93 yards and Germie Bernard piled up 11 more catches for 87, including the six-yard overtime touchdown that ended it. Rodgers completed 33 of 49 for 253 yards and two scores. Those numbers show an offense relying heavily on repeated short connections, not just one lucky deep ball that changes the scoreboard.

Tampa started rookie Jalon Daniels rather than the injured Baker Mayfield. Daniels finished 22-of-43 for 164 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Bucky Irving ran 19 times for 46 yards, and Emeka Egbuka had seven catches for 48 and a touchdown. You can't keep a good veteran quarterback parked on the sideline when your own offense is giving the ball away.

Pittsburgh was down 16-3 entering the fourth. Darnell Washington scored on a five-yard catch, Chris Boswell nailed a 39-yarder and a 58-yarder, and former Bucs corner Jamel Dean's interception return helped set up the go-ahead field goal. Chase McLaughlin still saved overtime for Tampa with a 53-yarder and eight seconds left. What a waste of a lead.

In overtime Rodgers drove Pittsburgh 70 yards in 12 plays and found Bernard for the winner. Jalen Ramsey then sacked Daniels on fourth down to end it. Ramsey had 10 tackles and two sacks, while Nick Herbig added two more. Tampa allowed Pittsburgh to score on five straight possessions over the fourth quarter and overtime after controlling the earlier game.

My take: Rodgers and Bernard deserve their flowers, and Ramsey slammed the door exactly when he had to. But Mike McCarthy's offense cannot keep spending three quarters asleep, and Todd Bowles has a nightmare finishing problem. Tampa led by 13 with one quarter left. You don't get to call that just bad luck.

Official game footage and verified reports