Rookie Party in Week 1: Allar Explodes, UDFAs Crash the Show, and Preseason Chaos Is Back
Week 1 of the 2026 NFL preseason has arrived, and the rookies didn't come to play nice. From a third-round quarterback putting on a clinic in Pittsburgh to a seventh-round running back crashing the Patriots' backfield party, Thursday night delivered everything we love about football's glorified dress rehearsal.
Steelers 28, Packers 9
Steelers: Drew Allar said 'hold my Gatorade' to every draft analyst who doubted him. The third-rounder led three touchdown drives in his preseason debut, hooking up with fourth-round receiver Kaden Wetjen for a 74-yard catch-and-run, then scoring on a 3-yard read-option. Oh, he wasn't done. Allar added a 5-yard TD pass to Wetjen and a 4-yarder to rookie FB Riley Nowakowski. Meanwhile, second-round WR Germie Bernard showed off his YAC ability on a 25-yard catch-and-run, and sixth-round DE Gabriel Rubio was all over the field with six tackles. — Brooke Pryor
Packers: Green Bay's rookie corner Brandon Cisse looked comfortable on the outside. New DC Jonathan Gannon brought the heat with blitzes. Free-agent addition Skyy Moore looked sharp returning punts. But the real storyline? Rookie kicker Trey Smack banged through field goals of 37, 58 and 38 yards — and would've had a second 58-yarder if a penalty hadn't erased it. First-year QB Kyle McCord was solid, completing 12 of 14 for 102 yards. — Rob Demovsky
Bengals 16, Lions 14
Bengals: Welcome to the league, rookies. Second-round DE Cashius Howell recovered a fumble on a botched handoff and logged a QB pressure in nine snaps. Fourth-round WR Colbie Young made a couple of highlight catches in the first half. Cincinnati's future looks bright. — Ben Baby
Lions: With Teddy Bridgewater suddenly riding off into the sunset, the backup QB battle in Detroit is wide open. Undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer got the start and went 13-for-21 for 130 yards with a TD and two picks — a solid, if a little wild, first showing. Meanwhile, new/old face Joshua Dobbs completed 4 of 8 for 32 yards. First-round tackle Blake Miller started at right tackle and looked the part from the jump. — Eric Woodyard
Patriots 13, Colts 13
Patriots: Seventh-round RB Jam Miller is making a strong case for the RB3 gig. With Terrell Jennings landing on IR before the game, Miller started and ran for 55 yards on 14 carries. Not flashy, but exactly the kind of hard-nosed running this offense needs. First-rounder Caleb Lomu started at right tackle, though a questionable ineligible man downfield penalty wiped out a big play. — Mike Reiss
Colts: Indy's rookie defenders were everywhere. Fourth-round LB Bryce Boettcher brought the physicality with three tackles. Fifth-round DE George Gumbs Jr. had two tackles and a sack. And rookie pass rusher Caden Curry? He had a sack, five tackles, two TFLs and two pass deflections — a monster debut. Safety A.J. Haulcy also showed versatility, flying around from single-high and strong safety. — Stephen Holder
More games are coming Friday and Saturday, but Thursday night already proved one thing: the future of the NFL is in very good hands. And also that preseason football is absolutely back, baby.