The Pittsburgh Steelers mounted their biggest fourth quarter comeback in decades to escape Tampa Bay with a 26-19 overtime win in Week 6. They were down by 13 points, but a pair of interceptions and some huge kicks by Chris Boswell helped get the offense back on track and send the game to the extra period, where the offense really got going. Even then, the way the team handled the first three quarters is unacceptable, and that should not happen again with this team.
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Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell (9) looks on after kicking a field goal during the fourth quarter in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in 2026.
There was one big change that was made that led to this comeback. Rookie receiver Germie Bernard explained what happened while making a recent appearance on Not Just Football with Cam Heyward.
"Aaron [Rodgers] was like, 'Listen guys, I'm going to take a little bit of control. I'm going to start calling some of the plays that we need, and we just need to execute,'" Bernard said.
The big change that gave the offense the spark that they needed was seemingly quarterback Aaron Rodgers taking over play-calling duties from Head Coach Mike McCarthy. That worked for the most part, as the Steelers went on a 23-3 run in the fourth quarter and overtime, whereas they were down 16-3 before that. Clearly, the 42-year-old saw something that his old coach didn't and took it upon himself to make the adjustment.
When Rodgers called the plays, he primarily ran run-pass options (RPOs) where he decides at the line of scrimmage if he wants to hand it off or throw a quick-hitter. As basic as it seemed, it worked out well as the offense racked up chunk play after chunk play. The plan was to get the ball in the playmakers' hands and let them do their thing. Sometimes, the simplest option can be the best option, and that was the case here.
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Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers prepares to throw a pass against the Buccaneers during a regular season game in October 2026.
It looked like McCarthy overthought the game plan entirely. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a great run defense, but that doesn't mean he should've just completely abandoned the ground game. Jaylen Warren had the game of his life in the previous week, and he only had seven touches in the first three quarters. Making Rodgers drop back to pass 54 times is not the key to success.
Throughout those first three quarters, McCarthy kept calling passes out of an empty set with the running back lined up wide. For a team who thrives on the run game, repeatedly telling the opposing defense that they will be throwing the ball is a very bold strategy, and it did not pay off. Fans have seen Rodgers extremely frustrated on the field this season, but him taking the reins against Tampa proved to be a vital fix.
Steelers Know That Rodgers Made The Right Choice
After the game, McCarthy acknowledged that he wished he would have taken what worked and called those plays earlier in the game. There's no denying that the coaching and the play-calling in that game was underwhelming. If he can earn from those mistakes and get better, then this bad game will be forgiven. Week 7 in Paris will be the first test to see if you can really teach an old dog new tricks from the sideline.
Rodgers was not perfect either, but that's not too much of a concern with how he got the Steelers to win.
Hopefully, he learns from that goal line fiasco. The defense gave him the ball at Tampa Bay's three-yard line with under two minutes to go in regulation, and he ran a pair of passing plays. That allowed the Buccaneers to save their timeouts and drive down the field to tie the game up and send it to overtime.
What do you think about Rodgers taking play-calling duties away from McCarthy? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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