The Pittsburgh Steelers spent three quarters in Florida making their eventual victory look wildly unlikely. Five three-and-outs, three points and a 13-point deficit are not exactly the ingredients of a memorable road win, especially with an offense already short on healthy receivers. Then the passing game finally found a pulse, and Pittsburgh escaped with a 26-19 overtime victory. The interesting part came afterward, when the quarterback responsible for the comeback identified something the Steelers should have figured out long before the fourth quarter.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf runs on the field at the UPMC Sports Complex as the team practices during 2025 Organized Team Activities (OTAs) in Pittsburgh, PA.
Aaron Rodgers believes Pittsburgh waited too long to get DK Metcalf rolling in Sunday's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During his postgame press conference, the veteran passer acknowledged the difference the receiver made once he became more involved, while slipping in a critique of how long the Steelers needed to get there.
“Once we got DK involved, the offense just shifted,” Rodgers said. “So we can get that going a little earlier next time.”
There is plenty packed into those two sentences. Rodgers was not throwing Metcalf under the bus, and he did not accuse Mike McCarthy of deliberately ignoring his best wideout. He was pointing to a painfully familiar Pittsburgh experience: spending most of the afternoon searching for rhythm, then suddenly discovering what the offense can look like when its best pieces are central to the action.
Metcalf finished with 11 receptions for 93 yards, his highest catch total of the season. Those numbers are impressive enough on their own, but their timing gave them extra weight. His third-and-13 reception during overtime extended the possession that ended with Pittsburgh's winning touchdown. Rodgers needed someone to deliver with the game on the line, and the receiver he wants involved earlier helped provide that answer.
That is a welcome change from the previous week. Metcalf managed three catches for 12 yards against the Indianapolis Colts, when coverage from Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner and additional help made targets difficult to find. Rodgers explained after that victory that he wanted Metcalf more consistently involved, but he also understood the value of attacking whichever matchups Indianapolis left available.
Tampa offered a very different lesson. Metcalf's production showed Pittsburgh could feed its top receiver without sacrificing everything else. Rookie Germie Bernard matched him with 11 receptions, adding 87 yards and the six-yard touchdown that eventually decided overtime. Two pass-catchers accounted for 22 of Rodgers' 33 completions. That is a pretty convincing argument for getting the right people involved.
The road to those numbers was much uglier. Pittsburgh scored only on a long field goal through its first 10 possessions and did not reach the end zone until Rodgers hit Darnell Washington for a five-yard score early in the fourth quarter. The Steelers were trailing 16-3 when that drive began. Against a better finishing opponent, the fourth-quarter rescue mission might never have reached the launchpad.
Kim Klement Neitzel / Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy looks on during the third quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
McCarthy deserves some credit for the comeback. Pittsburgh did not abandon the offense or start throwing desperation jump balls on every snap. Rodgers settled into a better rhythm, the defense gave him extra possessions and the Steelers kept putting points on the board. The quarterback finished 33-of-49 for 253 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, even while Tampa's rush brought him down four times.
Still, the most useful takeaway is the one Rodgers essentially handed the coaching staff. A receiver like Metcalf cannot be guaranteed double-digit catches every week, particularly when opponents dedicate a top corner and safety help to removing him. But getting him involved does not have to mean repeatedly forcing low-percentage deep shots into coverage.
An early slant, a designed quick throw, a crossing route from a reduced split or motion that complicates a defender's leverage can all create opportunities when the matchup allows. Those are options Pittsburgh can explore, not claims about the exact adjustments McCarthy made Sunday. The point is to give Rodgers answers before the offense has already punted away half the afternoon.
Bernard's emergence makes the conversation more interesting. The second-round rookie has shown he can handle a larger workload, and his touchdown against Tampa was his first in the NFL. If defenses load up on Metcalf, Bernard gives Rodgers somebody capable of benefiting. If they move coverage toward the rookie, the veteran should have more room to operate.
The temptation after a comeback is to celebrate the finish and bury the film from the first 45 minutes. Rodgers is not offering the coaching staff that luxury. An offense that needs five three-and-outs to discover its personality is asking an awful lot of the defense, the kicker and eventually the clock.
Steelers Need Metcalf To Change Games Before The Fourth
My problem with Pittsburgh's afternoon is not that Metcalf finished with 93 yards instead of 130. It is that the Steelers required a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to find a version of their passing attack that finally looked capable of controlling a game. That is a dangerous habit for a team expecting to play meaningful football well beyond October.
Rodgers is right to put the timing under a microscope. McCarthy has enough experience as a play-caller to understand that a defense will sometimes dictate where the ball goes. Yet the offense also has ways to shape those matchups, especially with Metcalf drawing attention and Bernard proving increasingly trustworthy.
Sunday ended with a win, a 4-2 record and a connection worth celebrating. Pittsburgh's next challenge is much less glamorous: make that connection part of the opening game plan, not just the emergency instructions.
The Steelers already know Metcalf can help change an afternoon. Rodgers would clearly prefer that change arrive before they're desperate for it.
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