by Bo Marchionte
@bomarchionte | College2Pro.com
Published October 18, 2026, 5:49 PM

Two in a Row the Ugly Way 

Different head coach.

Different offensive philosophy.

Same familiar Pittsburgh Steelers.

For nearly three quarters on Sunday afternoon, the Steelers looked like a franchise that had changed the furniture without fixing the plumbing.

Then came the comeback.

Pittsburgh erased a 16-3 fourth-quarter deficit and escaped Raymond James Stadium with a 26-19 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The victory improved Mike McCarthy’s Steelers to 4-2, giving Pittsburgh consecutive wins for the first time this season.

Two straight victories. One familiar identity.

For McCarthy, stacking wins represents something larger than another notch in the standings. It’s about building confidence, establishing consistency and developing the habits of a winning football team.

“You are what your record is. I believe that. I live that,” McCarthy said afterward. “We needed a win on the road. We got it done today. So, this is a big step for us.”

He wasn’t finished.

“We needed to stack two wins in a row. That’s another big step. Those are chunks of confidence that you gain as a football team.”

It’s a reasonable assessment from a coach trying to establish his own identity in Pittsburgh.

However, the more things change, the more these Steelers resemble the teams Mike Tomlin spent 19 seasons coaching.

Winning ugly remains the organization’s most dependable personality trait.

Aaron Rodgers finished with 253 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Respectable numbers until examining the first three quarters, when Pittsburgh produced three points and treated first downs like luxury items.

Five three-and-outs. Questionable execution. An offense incapable of finding a sustainable rhythm.

Against a Tampa Bay team entering Sunday with one victory and rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels making his third career start, Pittsburgh spent much of the afternoon looking remarkably ordinary.

Then Rodgers and the Steelers finally found the accelerator.

Darnell Washington caught a touchdown pass. Rookie cornerback Daylen Everette delivered an interception that helped set up a Chris Boswell field goal.

Former Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean added another interception, and Boswell eventually gave Pittsburgh a 19-16 advantage.

Tampa Bay forced overtime, but Rodgers responded with a 12-play drive capped by rookie Germie Bernard’s six-yard touchdown reception.

Jalen Ramsey finished the job with a fourth-down sack.

Pittsburgh celebrated. Deservedly so.

McCarthy also pointed toward the work being done away from the television cameras.

“We’ve had two weeks of practice preparation where the head coach was watching everything, and he feels it. That’s the way it’s supposed to look.”

That matters.

Winning consecutive games isn’t accidental. Preparation, discipline and confidence are ingredients every successful football team needs.

But Pittsburgh’s larger problem remains stubbornly familiar.

Offensive inconsistency, disappearing production, questionable execution and an inability to sustain drives have survived coaching changes, quarterback changes and considerable roster turnover.

At some point, the explanation must extend beyond the man wearing the headset.

McCarthy deserves credit for stacking victories. Rodgers deserves credit for delivering when Pittsburgh desperately needed him.

Still, the Steelers shouldn’t need three quarters of offensive misery to manufacture excitement against a struggling opponent.

At 4-2, Pittsburgh is accumulating something every coach covets.

Victories and confidence.

The next challenge is turning those chunks of confidence into four quarters of competent football.

Tomlin made a living winning games that weren’t particularly pretty.

McCarthy is discovering the same formula.

The Steelers have changed coaches.

They haven’t quite changed their football identity.

Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com