Rodgers ties Manning’s touchdown mark as Steelers beat Buccaneers in overtime

Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime, tying Peyton Manning for third place on the NFL’s regular-season passing-touchdown list. Rodgers’ two touchdowns brought his total to 539, according to the ESPN and Steelers Now excerpts; the ESPN headline also identifies the game as an overtime win. Steelers Now reported that Rodgers delivered the winning score with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Germie Bernard. The Steelers Now account gives Rodgers’ final line as 33 completions on 49 attempts for 253 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, with an 84.8 passer rating. ESPN’s excerpt confirms the overtime victory and the record tie but provides no additional game statistics. The outlets emphasize different parts of the result. Steelers Now focuses on the record and Rodgers’ statistical line, while ESPN’s headline and excerpt connect the tie to the Steelers’ overtime win. The Seattle PI headline describes Pittsburgh as coming back and gives the final score as 26-19; that headline does not provide the sequence or details of the comeback. ESPN Australia’s headline also reports the two-touchdown performance and record tie, spelling Rodgers’ surname as “Rogers.”

The game’s record-setting context is the regular-season list: Tom Brady leads with 649 touchdown passes, followed by Drew Brees with 571, while Rodgers reached the same 539 total as Manning. Steelers Now separately places Rodgers at 583 career touchdown passes when postseason games are included, the third-highest total in NFL history. These are distinct tallies, one limited to regular-season passing touchdowns and the other including postseason games. The winning throw also adds to Rodgers’ career totals beyond the touchdown record. Steelers Now says he had surpassed Ben Roethlisberger in career wins after Pittsburgh’s previous win over the Indianapolis Colts, recording 166 at that point; it lists Brady at 251, Brett Favre and Manning at 186 apiece, and Brees at 171. The excerpt does not state Rodgers’ updated career-win total after the Buccaneers game. The available accounts establish the overtime result, the touchdown record tie and the game-winning pass, but do not describe the play-by-play or explain how the game reached overtime. They also do not provide postgame comments from Rodgers, Bernard, either team or the coaches. The supplied reporting therefore supports a clear account of the result and its statistical significance, but not a fuller account of the game’s turning points or the players’ reactions.