Panthers
The Buccaneers had the game won for three quarters. They led the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-3 entering the fourth, and they lost 26-19 in overtime at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, October 18. Two Jalon Daniels interceptions, five sacks taken and a Steelers offense that finally found its rhythm turned a comfortable afternoon into a fifth loss in six games. Tampa Bay is 1-5 (ESPN, Buccaneers.com).
Key facts
- The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-19 in overtime at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, October 18; the ESPN final reads Tampa Bay 19, Pittsburgh 26 (ESPN).
- Tampa Bay led 16-3 entering the fourth quarter, and Pittsburgh scored 16 points in the fourth to force overtime (ESPN, Buccaneers.com).
- Jalon Daniels completed 22 of 43 passes for 164 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, and was sacked five times (ESPN).
- Chase McLaughlin made all four of his field goal tries, including a 53-yarder with eight seconds left in regulation to tie it at 19 (ESPN).
- The Buccaneers are 1-5 and play at the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, October 25, at 1:00 PM ET (Buccaneers.com).
How the lead was built
Tampa Bay started well. Aaron Rodgers threw an interception to A'Shawn Robinson in the first quarter, and Chase McLaughlin turned it into a 43-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead. In the second quarter Daniels hit Emeka Egbuka for a 2-yard touchdown, and McLaughlin added a 47-yarder for 13-0. Chris Boswell's 52-yard field goal as the half expired got Pittsburgh on the board at 13-3, and McLaughlin's 33-yarder in the third made it 16-3 (ESPN, Buccaneers.com).
It was not a pretty lead. The Bucs finished with 224 total yards at 3.1 yards per play, and Daniels averaged 2.5 net yards per pass attempt after the sacks. Tampa Bay converted only 6 of 19 third downs. The defense kept the Steelers out of the end zone for most of three quarters, which is what kept the game close to the Bucs' advantage (ESPN).
The fourth quarter
Pittsburgh scored 16 points in the final period. Rodgers found tight end Darnell Washington from 5 yards out to make it 16-10, and Boswell kicked a 39-yard field goal and then a 58-yarder to tie it at 16 (ESPN).
The turning point came with Tampa Bay trying to answer. Jamel Dean intercepted Daniels and returned it 40 yards, and Boswell kicked a 20-yard field goal with 1:21 left to put Pittsburgh ahead 19-16. Daylen Everette had also intercepted Daniels earlier in the game (ESPN, Buccaneers.com).
Daniels and McLaughlin did not let it end there. McLaughlin hit a 53-yard field goal with eight seconds left to tie it at 19 and send the game to overtime (ESPN, Yahoo Sports).
Overtime
Pittsburgh took the ball first and drove for 6:45 before Rodgers threw a 6-yard touchdown to Germie Bernard. The Bucs needed a touchdown to extend the game. On fourth-and-8, Jalen Ramsey sacked Daniels, and it was over (Buccaneers.com, Yahoo Sports).
The Steelers held the ball for 38:36 to Tampa Bay's 31:24, and outgained the Bucs 300 yards to 224. Rodgers was 33 of 49 for 253 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, though five sacks cost the Steelers 42 yards and left their net passing at 211 (ESPN).
Standout performances
Josiah Trotter led all players with 12 tackles. David Walker had two sacks, and the Bucs' defense as a whole sacked Rodgers five times. Rueben Bain Jr. and Al-Quadin Muhammad each added a sack (ESPN).
Emeka Egbuka was Daniels' most reliable target, with 7 catches for 48 yards and the touchdown on 16 targets. Ted Hurst III had 3 catches for 40 yards, including a 22-yarder, and Chris Godwin Jr. caught 4 for 37 (ESPN).
McLaughlin was 4 of 4 on field goals and scored 13 points, with a long of 53. On the other side, Boswell went 4 of 5 and scored 14 points, and Ramsey had two sacks and four tackles for loss. For Pittsburgh, DK Metcalf caught 11 passes for 93 yards, and Bernard caught 11 for 87 and the winning score (ESPN).
The ground game gave Tampa Bay little. Bucky Irving carried 19 times for 46 yards, 2.4 per carry, and Daniels ran four times for 39 yards, a better average than any Tampa Bay back managed (ESPN).
What it means
Daniels started for a third time because Baker Mayfield remains out, and he is now 1-2 as a starter (CBS Sports). The loss was not about talent alone. Tampa Bay played three good quarters and could not close.
At 1-5 and last in the NFC South, the margin for error is gone. Next up is a trip to Carolina to face the Panthers on Sunday, October 25, at 1:00 PM ET (Buccaneers.com, Yahoo Sports). For a team that just led by 13 points in the fourth quarter, the question for the coming weeks is not whether they can build a lead. It is whether they can finish one.
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