Aaron Rodgers threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns to rally the Pittsburgh Steelers from a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit to a 26-19 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Rodgers shrugged off a slow start to lead four fourth-quarter scoring drives, then finished off a 12-play, 70-yard march with a 7-yard TD throw to Germie Bernard to give the Steelers (4-2) the lead for good with 3:15 remaining in OT.
Rookie Jalon Daniels drove the Bucs (1-5) to midfield on the ensuing possession, but Tampa Bay could only get as close as the Steelers' 48 before Jalen Ramsey sacked the undrafted free agent on fourth down for an 11-yard loss to end the game.
"We played hard. We played very hard," Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. "Very competitive. We got to learn to finish ball games. And that's all three phases. Had a chance to finish the ball game. Play that hard and grab a lead ... we got to finish the ball game, and we have no more margin for error."
Rodgers completed 33 of 49 passing. He was sacked five times in the first three quarters and also tossed a first-quarter interception that led to the first of four field goals by Tampa Bay's Chase McLaughlin.
Chris Boswell also kicked four field goals for Pittsburgh, including a 20-yarder set up by former Buccaneer Jamel Dean's interception to give the Steelers a short-lived 19-16 lead with 1:21 left in regulation.
Daniels, who tossed a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions to help Pittsburgh get back in the game, promptly led the Bucs into field goal range with completions of 22 and 13 yards to fellow rookie Ted Hurst. McLaughlin, 14 of 14 this season, calmly booted a 53-yarder to force the extra period.
Daniels, making his third career start filling in for the injured Baker Mayfield, completed 22 of 43 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown. Daylen Everette's interception led to a field goal that enabled Pittsburgh to erase a 16-13 deficit, and Dean's pick and 40-yard return to the Bucs 2 set up another field goal.
Playing without injured receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson, Rodgers struggled to consistently move the ball for three quarters against a Bucs defense that has played better the past two games.
The 42-year-old, four-time NFL MVP's string of three consecutive games with three TD passes not only ended but the Steelers didn't come anywhere close to getting the ball
into the end zone until his 5-yard TD throw to Washington early in the fourth quarter.
An announced crowd of 64,660 attended at Raymond James Stadium, with a significant amount of Steelers fans wearing black and yellow and waiving the team's iconic yellow Terrible Towels. Steelers coach Mike McCarthy called the fans "phenomenal."
"I'm not going to lie, it was crazy," said Everette, who noticed the fans after his first career interception in the fourth quarter. "Even after that play, I looked in the crowd, and you saw more of those towels than you saw red. We came deep. It was good to see."
The Bucs next play this Sunday at NFC South rival Carolina.
