The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to escape Florida with a narrow win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6 of the 2026 season. The team won the game by a score of 26-19, but the collective was trailing 16-3 entering the fourth quarter. Most of the game was ugly for Pittsburgh in all three phases of the contest, but the group found a way to win and climb back into the game in the final quarter and overtime. The offense felt stagnant most of the showdown, but rookie wide receiver Germie Bernard was able to put together another promising performance.
Morgan Tencza / Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Germie Bernard (17) scores a /td/ during overtime against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
Bernard has been forced into a larger role on offense in recent weeks as the wide receiver room has been ravaged by injuries. He put together a good performance in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts, and he did it again in Tampa Bay. He caught 11 passes for 87 yards and the game-winning touchdown in the contest, but he did make a crucial mistake earlier in the game.
It was a fourth down for Pittsburgh, and Bernard caught a pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He was past the line to gain when he caught the ball, but he went backwards while trying to make a play and the Steelers turned the ball over on downs.
This was clearly a rookie mistake from Bernard, and he made up for it throughout the rest of the game. However, it was an error that likely took points off of the board for the Steelers as the offense was on Tampa Bay's side of the field. It gave the Buccaneers the ball near midfield, and the Buccaneers scored a touchdown on their possession so the mistake from Bernard caused quite the swing. Rodgers spoke about the error during his post game press conference.
"You need to ease expectations, but there comes a time when the confidence starts to match the potential." Rodgers said. "I think we're reaching that time with Germie. Very proud of him. Obviously, the fourth down, probably should just catch it and [he backed] up. But, he made a lot of nice plays today; a lot of smart plays, a lot of good catches. Obviously super smart there, catch, kind of broken tackle, reach out for the game-winning touchdown. But yeah, we had to have it."
Rodgers was very complimentary of his rookie wide receiver, but every fan knew that the veteran quarterback was going to bring up Bernard's critical mistake on fourth down. The quarterback has always taken this approach where he is not afraid to call out teammate's shortcomings, and that trend continue following the win over the Buccaneers.
Kim Klement Neitzel / Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Germie Bernard (17) scores a touchdown during overtime against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
Bernard put together this nice performance after catching six passes for 80 yards in a win over the Colts in Week 5, and the Steelers are going to need more of this production from their second-round pick. He has lived up to expectations so far, and he needs to continue to build up this trust with Rodgers as the season goes on. Roman Wilson is going to miss at least the next three games, so Bernard will continue to be relied upon.
Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Has Been Hard On Germie Bernard
It is no secret that Rodgers has been pushing Bernard hard throughout the week while preparing for games. He has been quizzing the rookie about the opposing team's personnel, schematics, and tendencies. This is going to help Bernard carve out a successful NFL career for himself, and he is learning as he goes. He probably won't repeat the mistake he made on Sunday of going backwards after getting the first down, which is a sign of development for the promising rookie wide receiver.
What do you think about these comments from Rodgers on Bernard? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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