The Pittsburgh Steelers went into the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers trailing 16-3 but after struggling all game long, came back to pull off a thrilling 26-19 overtime win to keep pace in the AFC North. Here are our big takeaways from the win.
Coaching malpractice by Mike McCarthy
Between the playcalling on the Steelers last drive in regulation and the timeout before the Bucs kicked the game-tying field goal, this was one of the ugliest coaching jobs by Mike McCarthy we've seen. Three run plays and a field goal on the final draft and the Steelers win in regulation and if they don't call a timeout, the Bucs kicker has to rush out to kick without using his kicking ball.
T.J. Watt isn't what we think he is
We made a point to keep a close eye on T.J. Watt this week and truth be told, he's not winning 1-on-1s. He's not seeing constant double teams and chips, and he was a non-factor. At least they finally lined Nick Herbig up properly and let him get a pair of big sacks but make no mistake, Watt's struggles are his own.
Maybe more Jaylen Warren?
It took until the final minutes of the game and overtime for McCarthy to remember he has one of the hottest backs in the NFL on his team and actually get him the football. Warren should have been more heavily involved from the beginning and things might not have been so close.
This isn't a win you celebrate
A win like this is the kind of win you learn from and go back and make adjustments, not one you celebrate as if things are fine. This performance wasn't fine and there are a lot of adjustments that must be made to get more consistent production in all three phases.
Germie Bernard is the answer
At this point, anyone who felt like the Steelers missed out on Makai Lemon needs to be happy it happened, even if Max Iheanachor got worked over on Sunday. Germie Bernard is the only receiver on the team who can consistently get separation and he showed it on Sunday with 11 receptions.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Big takeaways from the Steelers overtime win over the Buccaneers