Wk 6 · 2026
Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Sun, Oct 18
Sun, Oct 18 ·
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
· CBS
AFC North · 3-2
at
1:00pET
PIT -2.5 · total 39.5 DraftKings opened -1.5 · 4 toward PIT
Ratings differential PIT by 0.5
NFC South · 1-4
What is at stake
An interconference game, AFC against NFC. It counts in both overall records — which is what seeding is settled on first — and in neither team’s division or conference record.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The Gridiron King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
1.7 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two rosters that have
been through a draft and a free-agency window since.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense
Defense
Points / game
Points allowed / game
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The Gridiron King’s 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats
The box-score store these rows are built from has not been produced for this league yet, so no preview carries points and yards for and against. The form, trend and series blocks below are built from this site’s own files and are not affected.
Steelers form
W 34-22vs INDL 24-27at CLEW 30-27vs CINL 3-20at NEW 20-13vs ATL
2026 season
Buccaneers form
W 24-16at DALL 14-17vs GBL 16-23vs MINL 19-23vs CLEL 27-33at CIN
2026 season
Steelers this season
Straight up3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Against the spread3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Over / under3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Buccaneers this season
Straight up1-4 · 20% (5 games)
Against the spread1-3-1 · 25% (5 games)
Over / under2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 6
| Opponent | Steelers | Buccaneers |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons NFC | vs W 20-13 preview | vs Wk 8 · scheduled preview |
| Bengals AFC | vs W 30-27 preview | at L 27-33 preview |
| Browns AFC | at L 24-27 preview | vs L 19-23 preview |
| Saints NFC | N Wk 7 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 15 · scheduled preview |
| Ravens AFC | vs Wk 15 · scheduled preview | at Wk 14 · scheduled preview |
| Panthers NFC | vs Wk 16 · scheduled preview | at Wk 7 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Steelers leads 4–1 · Steelers has won the last 2
5 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
8.8 points toward Steelers
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2022-10-16 | Buccaneers 18 — 20 Steelers | at PIT | Steelers |
| 2018 | 2018-09-24 | Steelers 30 — 27 Buccaneers | at TB | Steelers |
| 2014 | 2014-09-28 | Buccaneers 27 — 24 Steelers | at PIT | Buccaneers |
| 2010 | 2010-09-26 | Steelers 38 — 13 Buccaneers | at TB | Steelers |
| 2006 | 2006-12-03 | Buccaneers 3 — 20 Steelers | at PIT | Steelers |
Steelers leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Aaron Rodgers QB #8 | 88/153, 999 YDS, 7 TD, 4 INT |
| Cameron Johnston P #19 | 0/1, 0 YDS | |
| Rushing | Jaylen Warren RB #30 | 55 CAR, 309 YDS |
| Rico Dowdle RB #13 | 15 CAR, 37 YDS | |
| Travis Homer RB #21 | 5 CAR, 15 YDS | |
| Receiving | DK Metcalf WR #4 | 16 REC, 213 YDS, 1 TD |
| Roman Wilson WR #14 | 14 REC, 188 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Jaylen Warren RB #30 | 13 REC, 143 YDS | |
| Pat Freiermuth TE #88 | 14 REC, 125 YDS, 2 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Payton Wilson LB #41 | 36 |
| Patrick Queen LB #6 | 28 | |
| Jaquan Brisker S #3 | 27 | |
| Sacks | T.J. Watt LB #90 | 4.5 |
| Alex Highsmith LB #56 | 3 | |
| Derrick Harmon DT #99 | 1.5 | |
| Interceptions | T.J. Watt LB #90 | 1 |
| Patrick Queen LB #6 | 1 | |
| Jaquan Brisker S #3 | 1 |
Buccaneers leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Baker Mayfield QB #6 | 61/96, 615 YDS, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Jalon Daniels QB #10 | 19/30, 148 YDS, 1 TD, 3 INT | |
| Rushing | Bucky Irving RB #7 | 56 CAR, 241 YDS, 1 TD |
| Baker Mayfield QB #6 | 11 CAR, 65 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Jalon Daniels QB #10 | 9 CAR, 64 YDS | |
| Receiving | Cade Otton TE #88 | 15 REC, 157 YDS |
| Emeka Egbuka WR #2 | 15 REC, 154 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Chris Godwin Jr. WR #14 | 16 REC, 142 YDS | |
| Ted Hurst III WR #17 | 8 REC, 128 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Josiah Trotter LB #45 | 34 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr. S #31 | 24 | |
| Alex Anzalone LB #34 | 22 | |
| Sacks | David Walker LB #51 | 2 |
| Alex Anzalone LB #34 | 1 | |
| A'Shawn Robinson DT #91 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | A'Shawn Robinson DT #91 | 1 |
| Josiah Trotter LB #45 | 1 | |
| Jacob Parrish CB #25 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since signed elsewhere, been traded or retired still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game.