The Pittsburgh Steelers entered Friday night with little separation between Will Howard and Drew Allar. But a 17-0 loss to the New York Jets made it hard to group Rodgers' proteges. Sure, the defeat won't deter postseason aspirations. But it surely exposed weaknesses and strengths.
It also established a distinction between Will Howard and Drew Allar.
A promising Steelers debut against the Green Bay Packers was a great first step for a former National Champion. A finger injury on Howard’s right hand prolonged his splash onto the NFL stage. But when he finally arrived, the sixth-round pick played with poise and utilized his mobility. The outcome? An efficient evening with few errors.
A repeat performance would prove that last week’s success was attributed to preparation - not a fluke. But when it came time to showcase consistency, Howard was nowhere to be found.
Keeping my eyes glued to the television wasn’t easy Friday night. I wanted Howard to replicate the debut fans praised. Instead, we were utterly disappointed. Pittsburgh relied on Howard to put points on the board in the first half. The result? A goose egg due to costly mistakes. The most damning was Howard’s first interception of the evening.
The unnecessary redzone turnover killed the drive instead of gifting the Steelers seven points. It signalled a decline when compared to his flawless 77.8% completion percentage and 86 yards the previous week.
In Week 2, Howard finished the evening with a 66% completion percentage and only 74 passing yards. His two interceptions were huge blemishes. The struggle on the gridiron put Pittsburgh in a bind early. Even a solid performance from Allar couldn't save McCarthy’s men from an unavoidable lesson.
The Pittsburgh Steelers cannot ignore the difference between Will Howard's and Drew Allar's Week 2 performance
Sprinting uphill is difficult. But Pittsburgh’s third-round pick did his best to make ground. Allar entered the game facing a seven-point second-half deficit with little momentum to pull from. An uncomfortable position is usually an excuse to take the foot off the gas. Instead, the former Nittany Lion demonstrated resilience, focus, and perseverance as he worked to rally his squad.
His mobility and tremendous arm strength were on full display. This was especially evident during a 38-yard dagger to tight end Lake McRee that propelled Pittsburgh into the red zone. Mike McCarthy’s aggressive fourth-down decision left the Steelers without points. But Allar’s pocket awareness and athleticism were evident and refreshing to see after Will Howard’s decline.
Allar did not help Pittsburgh escape a home-field shutout. But he succeeded by creating separation from Pittsburgh's previous QB investment. The rookie finished with 110 yards and zero turnovers. No, Allar’s performance was not perfect, but he made the best of what he had.
Still, his completion percentage (47.8%) dropped significantly since Week 1 (76.9%), and he was also sacked three times.
The drop-off on the stat sheet seems larger than reality. Pittsburgh had other issues outside of quarterback play. The most visible headache was watching the offensive line. Without protection, it’s nearly impossible to expect greatness from anyone under center. Still, quarterbacks are responsible for responding to adversity.
That includes limiting turnovers even if the box score isn't pretty. And Drew Allar outperformed Will Howard in that category.
Ultimately, there weren’t many positive marks for the Steelers' second preseason performance. But if anything, we witnessed a clear distinction between the development of Will Howard and Drew Allar. Until now, the two inexperienced QBs were merged into one category.
They were viewed as a pair instead of leaders competing to lead the offense. But after Friday night, I believe Allar has gained ground in a silent but existing competition.
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