The Pittsburgh Steelers escaped Florida with a very ugly win, as they came back from being down 16-3 to win in overtime by a final score of 26-19. Up until the fourth quarter, the offense was incapable of moving the ball downfield. Once the clock started becoming a factor, Pittsburgh was finally able to pull off some long drives to give the defense some rest. Overall, it was not a great performance, and there are still a lot of adjustments that need to be made to truly be competitive in the tough AFC North division.
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.
The Steelers finished the game with exactly 300 yards of offense, which is not very good, especially when a game goes into overtime. The only scoring drive in the first half came from the two-minute drill, and the third quarter looked like more of the same from what happened in the initial 30 minutes.
Even against a very respectable defense, Pittsburgh hurts itself having that kind of three-quarter performance again. Head Coach Mike McCarthy knows that as well. He spoke about the early issues during his postgame press conference.
"I thought the guys just did a great job in more of a run-pass option type. Offense probably could've got to some of those things earlier in the game; I think that would've helped us earlier," McCarthy said. "Probably could've used some more attempts at the plate there."
The Steelers' offensive game plan was definitely questionable. This is a team where the run game is the bread and butter, especially after Jaylen Warren exploded for 188 all-purpose yards in Week 5. Instead, the team opted to make the pass game the focal point, and it didn't even try to hide it. All throughout the first three quarters, especially on first down, Pittsburgh went into empty sets and practically told the defense it was passing.
That did not work at all. Passing on first down and limiting the running game was a bold move in of itself, but at least having a back in the backfield makes the defense play tight in the box to respect the rush attack. McCarthy will have to go back to the drawing board, and it sounds like he will plan to use more run-pass options where Aaron Rodgers checks the play at the line of scrimmage.
Kim Klement Neitzel / Imagn Images
Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike McCarthy looks on at Raymond James Stadium during a 2026 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This seemed like a case of McCarthy trying to overthink everything. It's true that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one of the best run defenses in all of football, but that should not automatically mean he should take the ball out of his bets player's hands. Warren is one of the best running backs in the NFL in terms of making players miss tackles, so he should have gotten more chances to do so, as opposed to being used primarily as a decoy or blocker.
Warren had just seven touches through the first three quarters of the game. That is completely unacceptable, even though he got nine more in the fourth quarter and overtime. McCarthy said he probably should have to get to some of those run-pass options earlier in the game, and that will be a key moving forward. Let Rodgers do his pre-snap checks, and if the secondary looks to be defending it well, give Warren the ball.
Steelers' Win Came From Jaylen Warren Doing What He Does Best
In overtime, the Steelers gave the ball to Warren on three straight plays: a check-down and two runs. He gained 24 yards on those plays and set Pittsburgh up in the red zone, where it eventually scored the go-ahead touchdown. He was able to break multiple tackles on those plays to keep the chains moving and continue to wear down the defense. That's the kind of impact that he has on this team, and that's why he needs to get the ball in his hands.
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