Howard Impresses in NFL Debut
by Bo Marchionte
@bomarchionte | College2Pro.com
Published August 13, 2026, 11:49 PM
Steelers 28, Packers 9: Quarterbacks Own the Night
Pittsburgh, PA – If the goal of preseason football is to create difficult decisions, Pittsburgh’s quarterback room did its part against Green Bay.
“I understand probably numbers are pretty good,’ Mike McCarthy said. I’ve seen the stats, so I know the numbers were pretty good. But I, you know, I like the way our quarterbacks ran the offense and that’s a big thing.”
Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar combined to complete 27 of 33 passes for 332 yards and two touchdowns in the Steelers’ 28-9 win. Collectively, that’s an 81.8% completion rate, with Allar supplying both touchdown passes.
It was a terrific atmosphere at Acrisure Stadium with a crowd of 64,164 on hand for McCarthy’s debut as head coach. No booing when Renegade was played helped solidify a solid night’s work against the Packers.
“But today’s the real test,” McCarthy said of the pair of young quarterbacks facing another opponent. “You really never know in this business till you know you’re able to call a play, look in the guy’s eyes, and handle it. And I thought Will and Drew handled it very well today.”
No. 16 Drew Allar – Better Under the Lights
Allar’s first completion went 74 yards to Kaden Wetjen, with Wetjen doing most of the damage after the catch. It immediately settled the rookie into the game.
What stood out afterward was Allar’s demeanor. He looked calm under center, quickly turned toward Mike McCarthy for the next call and operated without appearing rushed. Most noticeable was the velocity on his throws. That hasn’t always shown up consistently during training camp, but it certainly did against Green Bay.
“I mean, honestly, like pretty fast,” Allar said of feeling comfortable against the Packers. “I think for me, football is football no matter what, and honestly, I feel like the adjustment for me at the NFL level came during rookie OTAs and OTAs in general, and more specifically, like with this training camp cycle and going against a great defense every day with a challenging scheme that really challenges us as offense, I feel like that really, you know, mentally prepared me to go out there and just handle everything.”
Allar also showed the athletic element Pittsburgh saw throughout his Penn State career. After a potential touchdown was dropped from the three-yard line, he followed with a quarterback sneak and attacked the goal line without hesitation.
Then came the payoff through the air. Allar found Wetjen for a touchdown after the receiver used a subtle stutter off the line, worked to the defenders outside shoulder and created enough separation for Allar to finish it.
If Allar looks better when the scoreboard is turned on than he does during portions of practice, Pittsburgh will gladly accept the trade-off.
Drew Allar Against Packers
- Attempts: 10
- Completions: 13
- Passing Yards: 153
- Touchdowns: 2
- Passer Rating: 154.8
No. 18 Will Howard – Runs Two-Minute Drill to Perfection
The crowd noticeably came alive when Howard entered with 10:14 remaining in the second quarter, and the young quarterback gave them something to watch.
His best work came with 1:57 remaining before halftime. Pittsburgh put Howard into the two-minute environment, and he responded with poise. An underneath completion to Robert “Bobby” Tonyan generated a big gain before Howard went right back to Tonyan with a beautifully placed throw near the goal line. Initially ruled a touchdown, replay placed Tonyan just short.
“I mean obviously nothing super glaring, but just to be able to have an opportunity to work that two-minute drive at the end of the half is huge because we’ve been drilling that. I mean, really since day one of camp, and we did it so much in OTAs, and then now I mean, I think we’ve done two-minute every single day of camp, and I’ve gotten a ton of reps of it, and it’s really paid off,
Lew Nichols III finished the drive from there.
Howard did have one throw in the third quarter he’ll want back an off-platform, back-foot attempt that introduced unnecessary risk. Those are the decisions young quarterbacks have to eliminate.
Still, it was a blemish rather than the story of his night.
Will Howard Against Packers
- Attempts: 7
- Completions: 9
- Passing Yards: 86
- Touchdowns: 0
- Passer Rating: 106.5
Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com
