Aaron Rodgers threw a six-yard pass to Germie Bernard on the first possession of overtime on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' attempt to respond ended on a fourth-down sack of Jalon Daniels by Jalen Ramsey in a 26-19 loss to Pittsburgh. The Buccaneers had a 16-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter but Pittsburgh mounted four straight scoring drives and Chase McLaughlin had to kick a 53-yard field goal with eight seconds left to get the game into overtime.
"The last play of the game, they ended up bringing a nickel pressure off the edge," said Daniels. "I tried to be able to make Jalen Ramsey miss and he did a good job of wrapping me up and making the tackle."
Tampa Bay's defense only allowed 144 yards, eight first downs and two third-down conversions in the first three quarters while producing the game's only takeaway to that point. But Rodgers led a 68-yard that ended in a touchdown pass to TE Darnell Washington to make it 16-10. Two Daniels interceptions, one of which was returned to Tampa Bay's three-yard line by former Buccaneer Jamel Dean in the game's final two minutes, led to short field goal drives. In between Pittsburgh K Chris Boswell drilled a 48-yarder with 1:55 left to tie the game at 16-16.
"You never have the game under control in this league until it's over," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "We knew it was going to be a hard-fought battle against a really tough team and we knew it was going to come down to the end."
The loss dropped the Bucs to 1-5 as they failed to build on the momentum gained on Thursday night in Dallas. Atlanta lost to Chicago on Sunday to fall to 2-4 but the Carolina Panthers won in Philadelphia to improve to 3-2 and put the Bucs two wins down in the NFC South standings. The Buccaneers now have their first two intra-division games on tap, as they head to Carolina next week and play Atlanta at home in Week Eight.
"We've got no margin for error," said Bowles. "We played hard. We play very hard, very competitive; we've got to learn how to finish ballgames, and that's all three phases. We had a chance finish the ballgame and we didn't finish it at the end. You play that hard and you grab the lead, you've got to keep it. It's all the little things in between. We practice two-minute for a reason and both sides of the ball we've got to finish the ballgame. They understand that as a team and we have no more margin for error.
"We've got a good group of guys, we're not going to break. We've got a good brotherhood in that locker room. That's the least of our worries."
Daniels made his third straight start in place of an injured Baker Mayfield (right thumb) and led a 60-yard touchdown drive on the Bucs' fourth possession that ended in a two-yard touchdown pass to Emeka Egbuka. But the offense struggled for answers in the second half and the rushing attack failed to produce the same big numbers it had in Week Five in a win over Dallas. Daniels ended up throwing 43 times, completing 22 for 164 yards plus the touchdown and two interceptions. He also rank four times for 39 yards while absorbing five sacks, two each by Ramsey and OLB Nick Herbig.
"It was a tough front," said Bowles of Pittsburgh's run defense. "We got some tough runs in there, but the rhythm that [Irving] had last week probably wasn't there, getting us into some second-and-longs and taking us out of a few things."
McLaughlin made all four of his field goal tries as the Bucs built their early lead but the offense only generated 224 yards overall and was held to a six-of-19 conversion rate on third down. After a 175-yard day in Dallas, RB Bucky Irving was largely bottled up and finished with 46 yards on 19 carries. The Bucs seemed to be in control of the game through the first three quarters but couldn't pull away, giving Rodgers and company an opportunity to claw back in.
"I wouldn't say [the Steelers' defense] was doing anything different from the first half," said Daniels. "We connected on a lot of those same passes that we did not get a chance to connect on in the second half. That's just execution. It's on us. We have to be able to execute those plays."
Tampa Bay's defense generated a season-high five sacks against Rodgers after going without a sack in the previous two games. Emerging young pass rusher David Walker had two of them, increasing his team lead to 4.0. Rookies Rueben Bain Jr. and Keionte Scott, teammates at the University of Miami and fellow 2026 draft picks, each recorded their first career sack and veteran free agency addition Al-Quadin Muhammad also got on the board. Incredibly, defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson, who had one interception in his first 10 NFL seasons, picked off a pass for the second time this season on a deflection, setting up a field goal. In the end, though, it wasn't enough to add up to a victory.
"The only success is wins and losses," said Bowles. "I don't weight success off of pressure or not pressure."
The Bucs got the ball first and Tez Johnson took the kickoff back to the Bucs' 30. Irving got the ball on the first two snaps but the net gain was just one yard. The drive ended quickly and badly when slot corner Jalen Ramsey came on a blitz and got to Daniels quickly, spinning him to the ground all the way back at the 16. Riley Dixon's punt took a bounce back in the wrong direction and was downed at the Bucs' 44.
Rodgers threw the ball away out of bounds due to tight coverage on first down and the Steelers soon faced a third-and-eight. Pressure from LB Josiah Trotter put Rodgers on the run and he eventually threw it away again. The Steelers chose a punt over a 60-yard field goal try and Tez Johnson fair caught it at the Bucs' 12.
Daniels' pass on first down was batted down in the backfield before Irving got five on a run out of the shotgun. Daniels found WR Chris Godwin past the sticks but the veteran receiver uncharacteristically dropped the pass. A flag on Pittsburgh on the return put the ball at the Pittsburgh 36-yard line, and the subsequent drive only lasted one play. Rodgers tried to lob it to jumbo TE Darnell Washington on a tight end screen but it was a little off target and Washington could only deflect it, with the ball ending up in the hands of Robinson at the Pittsburgh 39.
Two tackle-breaking runs by Ramsey got six yards each and moved the sticks but his next run lost five yards and two plays later it was third-and-15. Daniels settled for a check-down to RB Kenny Gainwell, who got seven, bringing on McLaughlin to try a 43-yard field goal. The kick appeared to bet tipped at the line but it still snuck through to give the home team a 3-0 lead.
A penalty on the Steelers negated a long return on the next kickoff and put the ball at the 20. Warren got only two on a first-down run but a second-down swing pass worked a lot better as it was blocked up to give him a lane to the 38. Dowdle got the next carry and also found a seam to exploit, zipping straight upfield for 13 more to get just past midfield. Parrish moved quickly on a run to his side by Dowdle, stopping him for a loss of two, and a short pass to Washington made it third-and-seven at the Bucs' 46. Rodgers hit WR Germie Bernard with a short pass but CB Zyon McCollum brought him down three yards short of the sticks. The Steelers lined up to go for it on fourth down, then called a timeout. They sent the offense back out but a blitzing Tykee Smith made Rodgers get the ball out too fast and though it was completed again to Bernard it was behind the sticks and OLB Yaya Diaby spun him down to create a turnover on downs.
The Bucs came on at their own 40 and Daniels had another pass deflected in the backfield. This time he caught his own pass for a loss of three yards, and on the next play he threw an out to Godwin for four yards. Daniels went right back to Godwin on third down and the receiver turned upfield and was able to run past the line to gain for a first down at the Pittsburgh 46. However, Daniels then took another sack, this one by Nick Herbig, move it back 10 yards. A square-in to Egbuka worked for a big gain of 16 and Daniels next pass went to WR Ted Hurst, low and hard, just beyond the line to gain. On first down from the 35, Daniels went through his reads and eventually found Godwin in the right flat for a gain of 11 on the final play of the first quarter. On the first play of the second period, Daniels delivered a perfect pass to Hurst near the goal line. Hurst couldn't haul it in because CB Dalen Everette had one of his arms hooked, but that drew a pass interference call, putting the ball at the two-yard line. On the next play, Egbuka leaked wide open into the front left part of the end zone and Daniels hit him easily for the touchdown.
The Bucs' coverage squad walled off return man Kaden Wetjen at the Pittsburgh 23, but a swing pass to WR DK Metcalf opened the drive with a gain of six. On third-and-four, Rodgers tried to throw a short pass out to the right to Warren but LB Christian Rozeboom was all over the play, arriving at the receiver at the same time the ball did for a PBU. Johnson took the ensuing punt back to the Bucs' but a holding penalty moved it back to the 11.
Irving gave the Bucs some breathing room on the very next play, starting right then cutting back around the left edge for a gain of 13. Two short passes to Johnson and Egbuka put the Bucs into a third-and-threebut the Bucs had to punt after Daniels was forced into a quick scramble and eventual throwaway. Dixon's next punt was fair caught at the Pittsburgh 34.
Dowdle found nothing but a wall of defenders up the middle on first down and got only one yard, but Rodgers got off a sideline pass to Bernard that the rookie was able to turn up for 14 yards nearly to midfield. Dowdle found a much more agreeable seam on his next carry and shot through it for 15 more to the Bucs' 37. He got it two more times, on a run and a throw, but only got four yards to make it third-and-six. Rodgers threw short again and the Bucs' defense made him pay, with Scott closing quickly on Bernard a yard short of the first-down marker. The Steelers sent out K Chris Boswell to try a 48-yard field goal. McCollum nearly blocked it and perhaps influenced the kicker to hook it wide left and no good.
Irving started the next drive with a three-yard run and Daniels then saw the field open up in front of him and sprinted through it and to the left for a gain of 17. Gainwell came on to take his first handoff and alsofound an opening, squeaking through it and bouncing out to the right for another 14 to the Steelers' 28. Daniels tried to scramble up the middle again but this time was dropped for a loss of one. His next pass was to an open Egbuka but it was delivered too low and the receiver couldn't quite pluck it off the grass. The Bucs used a timeout then called an out-and-up to Egbuka, with the ball just out of reach and off his left hand. McLaughlin drilled a 47-yard field goal to put the Bucs up 13-0 with four minutes left in the half.
Scott blitzed out of the left slot on first down and ran down Rodgers from behind for an eight-yard sack, and he also made the tackle on second down after Warren ran for three, making it third-and-15. Rodgers tried to hang in the pocket long enough to push the ball downfield but it collapsed on him and Bain got through his first NFL sack, forcing a punt as the two-minute warning arrived.
Cameron Johnston's punt bounced out of bounds 53 yards downfield at the Bucs' 25. A false start took it back another five yards and a swing pass to Egbuka out left was complete but didn't gain a yard. After an Irving run for six yards, Daniels tried a deep out to Egbuka right at the marker but it was broken up and nearly intercepted by former Buccaneer Jamel Dean. WR Kameron Johnson had great coverage on the resulting punt and was able to spun Wetjen down singlehandedly at the Pittsburgh 20. Two straight underneath passes to TE Pat Freiermuth gained 11 yards but ran the clock under a minute. OLB Al-Quadin Muhammad deflected an attempted swing pass to Dowdle but two plays later Rodgers found Bernard for a 12-yard gain to the Bucs' 47 and the offense ran up to spike the ball with 15 seconds left in the half. The next pass also went to Bernard and he got to the ground at the Bucs' 34, giving the offense enough time to reconvene and spike it again with three ticks remaining. Boswell came on to drill a 52-yard field goal and get the Steelers on the board before halftime.
The Steelers fielded the kickoff to start the second half and got the ball to their own 33. A two-yard Warren run and a pass that was nearly intercepted by Trotter gave the Steelers a quick third-down and Anzalone broke up a slant intended for Freiermuth, leading to another Pittsburgh punt, which took several favorable bounces for the Steelers and went down to the Bucs' 15.
A run and a catch by Irving each gained a single yard, but Daniels scrambled left and turned on the jets, sprinting just past the first-down marker. Three plays later, on third-and-seven, Daniels threw a sharp pass to a well-covered Egbuka and fit it in for a gain of 14. After another toss to Egbuka, a short out, got seven yards to the Steelers' 29, a handoff to Irving left him nowhere to run and it was third-and-three. Daniels converted this one too with a well-thrown short out to Otton just past the sticks. Irving weaved around for seven yards on a first-down handoff but his plunge up the middle got just two more to make it a long third-and-one. Gainwell came on for the third-down carry and made a nice cut back inside when he was initially sent into a wall, finding room for a three-yard run. Irving's next attempt at a cutback nearly broke him free but Ramsey was able to get him by one foot for a loss of two. A shot to Hurst in the end zone was too long and went out of bounds, and Daniels was chased into a throwaway on third down. McLaughlin drilled a 33-yard field goal to restore the Bucs' 13-point lead with five minutes left in the third quarter.
Pittsburgh's next drive started at its own 33 and Rodgers got off a swing pass to Bernard for six. However, Warren was stopped for no gain and a rare deep shot to Metcalf was incomplete, leading to a punt. A 13-yard return by Tez Johnson got the ball back to the Bucs' 15.
The Bucs quickly faced a third-and-eight when Daniels' second-down pass to Godwin on a quick curl sailed well over the receiver's head. The Bucs were flagged for holding on third down but the penalty was declined when Daniels' scramble came up five yards short of the line to gain Dixon's punt bounced sidewise and out of bounds at Pittsburgh's 32.
Rodgers started the next drive with another deep shot to Metcalf but the pass rush descended quickly and his throw down the middle was well out of reach. A simple pass over the middle against the zone to Washington got nine and a fake handoff followed by a pass down the line to Bernard for a tunnel screen worked to perfection and was good for 19 to the Bucs' 40. The drive went backward into Pittsburgh territory on the next play Walker crashed immediately through the line and spun Rodgers down for an 11-yard sack. A five-yard pass to Dowdle brought the third quarter to an end. After the teams switched sides, Rodgers made the perfect read on a big Bucs blitz and threw a deep square-in to Metcalf for 17 yards on third-and-16. A roughing-the-passer-call on DL Calijah Kancey moved the ball down to the Bucs' 14 and a quick pass to Bernard got nine. On second-and-one, a well-executed fake sprung Washington wide open into the left side of the end zone and Rodgers got it to him for the five-yard score.
The Bucs got the ball back at their 29 and faced a third-and-seven after an Irving run and an incompletion over the middle. Daniels tried to convert it with a deep out to Egbuka but Everette got in front of the receiver near the sideline and made a juggling interception at the Buc' 45. The Steelers then immediately got a big gain on a short pass to Metcalf that the receiver took up the left sideline for 17. Two very short passes to Metcalf and Bernard were bottled up immediately, leading to a third-and-10. Bain beat his man to the inside and immediately got pressure on Rodgers up the middle but the veteran passer escaped and threw on the run to Warren for 16 yards to the Bucs' 12. Two plays later, Muhammad broke through to drop Rodgers for a six-yard sack, and an illegal shift penalty on the Steelers erased a big play down to the three. On third-and-21 from the 23, Rodgers tried a screen pass to Metcalf but the defense was all over it and it only got two yards, leading to another Boswell field goal, this one from 39 yards out. That left the Bucs with a 16-13 lead with eight minutes left to play.
The Bucs ran an RPO and an indecisive handoff to Irving contributed to a loss of a yard as the Bucs opened their next drive at the 26. Daniels was on target to Egbuka on a second-down curl at the sticks but Dean came over the receiver's back with perfect timing and broke up the pass. Another throw in Egbuka's direction on third down was also in stiff traffic and broken up. Runs by Dowdle and Warren added up to 11 yards and a first down, and a deep out to Metcalf moved the chains again up to the Steelers' 46. Three plays later, on third-and-five, Rodgers threw incomplete and deep in __'s direction but the offense was bailed out by a pass interference call on Jacob Parrish. Now at the Bucs' 37, Rodgers threw a screen to Metcalf but the pass was bobbled and dropped. A dump-off over the middle to Washington created another third down at the 31, with four yards to the sticks. Walker came up big again, getting to Rodgers for a nine-yard sack back to the Bucs' 40. Boswell came on to try a 58-yarder to tie the game, and his first attempt was good but deemed to have been kicked after the two-minute warning. He had to try again and he was up to the challenge, booting his second try even farther and between the posts.
That left the Bucs with 1:55 and a chance to respond with the game-winning score. Kameron Johnson got the attempt off to a good start by getting his kickoff return out to the 37. A slant intended for Hurst was delivered behind the receiver. The next pass had an even worse outcome, as it was picked off by Dean and returned almost to the end zone. Only a hustling Daniels prevented the touchdown but the Steelers still had a first down at the three with 1:38 left on the clock.
McCollum broke up a play-action roll-out pass intended for Washington in the end zone. The Bucs stopped Warren at the two on second down and Bowles used his first timeout with 1:26 left. Parrish stood up against an attempted fad e to Metcalf and broke it up, so the Steelers sent out Boswell once more, this time for the go-ahead 20-yarder.
Pittsburgh kicked it into the end zone for a touchback, making it first down at the 35 with 1:21 left and the Bucs in possession of two timeouts. Daniels immediately got the Bucs into Pittsburgh territory with a strike down the left numbers to Hurst for 22 yards. After a scrambling incompletion, Daniels was chased down from behind by Nick Herbig for a sack back at the 48, prompting the Bucs to use their last timeout. After Daniels found Hurst for a gain of 13 down to the 35, the field goal unit hustled onto the field to line up for a 53-yard try. The Steelers used a timeout but McLaughlin was unmoved, calmly booting it through to tie the game with eight seconds left.
The Bucs stopped Wetjen on the ensuing kickoff return and the Steelers kneeled to send the game to overtime.
Tampa Bay won the overtime coin toss and chose to kick first. The ensuing return came out to Pittsburgh's 30 and Rodgers was hurried into a throw-away on a first-down play-action roll-out. Diaby knifed into the backfield on second down and whipped Warren to the ground for a loss of three. The Steelers kept the drive alive with a seam route to Metcalf that was good for 16 yards to the Pittsburgh 43. A Warren run and a quick out by Metcalf moved the chains again to the Bucs' 44. Warren put on a show on a short pass with multiple spin moves and was able to get to the Bucs' 32 for another first down. Warren got it on the next two plays, too, and piled up 12 yards to the 20-yard line. Rodgers threw over a blitz from the left to get it to Metcalf again for five and Dowdle ran it down to the nine with the OT clock ticking down to four minutes. A screen over the middle to Dowdle got three and Bernard was able to stretch the ball over the goal line on a short pass to the left with 3:15 left in the period.
It was 3:07 on the clock after Gainwell's kickoff return to the 26. Irving took a handoff up the middle but only got one yard. An attempted slant to Egbuka was off target, and another incompletion made it fourth-and-nine. On that do-or-die down, Daniels scrambled left away from pressure and looked for an open man but then judged he could make it to the sticks if he could make one defender, Dean, miss. The young QB succeeded getting 10 yards, then got the ball to midfield with short passes to Egbuka and Godwin. However, the Bucs soon faced another must-have fourth down at the Pittsburgh 48 and Ramsey once again timed a blitz perfectly off the right edge, streaking in untouched for the game-ending sack.
