The Pittsburgh Steelers finally got their chance to play someone besides themselves after over two weeks of training camp practice, and it was quite the spectacle in more ways than one. Despite the 28-9 victory at home against the Green Bay Packers, things started about as sloppy as possible.
Multiple first-half penalties (mostly on special teams) extended drives for the Packers and put the Steelers' offense behind the sticks. It also led to terrible field position for most of the game for the home team, much to the dismay of fans in Acrisure.
A late touchdown gave the Steelers a 7-6 lead at halftime to salvage a disappointing first half, but it was all Steelers from there. Pittsburgh outscored the Pack 21-3 the rest of the way on the arm of rookie quarterback Drew Allar. Let's dive into how they turned things around to finish their preseason debut strong.
Pittsburgh Steelers ride strong Drew Allar debut to domination of Green Bay Packers
All three of the Steelers QBs had strong statistical nights, with Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Allar completing a combined 27 of 33 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns. Allar did most of that damage himself, with 153 of those yards and both passing scores. He even ran a touchdown in on the ground for his first NFL touchdown.
Take it in yourself 1️⃣6️⃣
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 14, 2026
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The rookie receivers showed out as well, with Germie Bernard putting up 51 yards on four catches and Kaden Wetjen hauling in two passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.
The running game was far less impressive, however, as Pittsburgh put up just 79 yards on 28 carries. In fairness, neither Jaylen Warren nor Rico Dowdle played in the game, and the Steelers' offensive line didn't play all that well either. Overall, the offense looked the part.
The defense had itself quite the night as well, racking up five sacks and limiting the Packers to just 160 total yards. Green Bay struggled to string positive plays together, and they had an even harder time running the ball than Pittsburgh, with a 63-yard day on 24 attempts.
A few players on the fringes of the roster made big impacts for the defense as well, with Jamin Davis making multiple splash plays in the backfield and defensive backs Devan Boykin and Deneiko Slaughter each breaking up a pass.
Overall, aside from the penalty issues, McCarthy should be pleased with his team's first outing with him at the helm.
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