Germie Bernard Hears Legitimate Praise From Steelers' Mike McCarthy

Head Coach Mike McCarthy loved what he was seeing from the rookie. In his postgame press conference, he gave all kinds of praise to Bernard for his performance, including his go-ahead touchdown in overtime.

"I love everything [Germie Bernard]'s doing; he's accepted the challenge," McCarthy said. "We have a lot on his plate, and he's handling it... He's playing really good football for us."

There is definitely a lot on Bernard's plate. He was expected to take it slow and learn as a rotational piece, but that all changed when Michael Pittman Jr. went on Injured Reserve (IR) with Roman Wilson not far behind him. Ben Skowronek also missed the contest, so the rookie became the WR2 with very little depth behind him. He had to figure everything out quickly whether he was ready for it or not. 

Bernard took that challenge and made the most of it. He caught 11 of 12 passes for 87 yards and the aforementioned touchdown to take the lead in overtime. With how much Rodgers is trusting him, he will most likely continue to be a key contributor even when Pittman and Wilson return in the middle of the season. He is proving to be a great second-round selection, and still has more room for development. 

The Steelers need Bernard to keep developing for the passing offense to do well. He is the single-best route runner on the team by far, as he does not have issues getting separation at the point of attack. That skillset will eventually turn him into a hot read for Rodgers when he is pressured. If he can keep winning these routes, this won't be his only 11-reception game of his promising NFL career.

Steelers Kept Trusting Bernard After Big Blunder

In the first quarter, Bernard made a crucial rookie mistake. He caught a fourth down pass for a first down, but he then ran backwards behind the line and got tackled, which resulted in a turnover on downs. That cost the Steelers at least three points, as they were near field goal range. On top of that, the Buccaneers scored their only touchdown of the contest on the ensuing possession to take a 10-0 lead.

Whether it was due to the lack of available receivers and/or Rodgers maintaining trust, the quarterback kept feeding Bernard after that, and he didn't let the team down after that. The 42-year-old praised him for never making the same mistake twice, so that should be the last time the Steelers see the former second-round pick give up a first down in an attempt to avoid the tackle.