Steelers' Rookie QB Showdown? Allar & Howard Just Flexed on the Packers

PITTSBURGH — The building was literally chanting “DREWWWWWW” like he was the second coming of Mean Joe Greene. And honestly? Drew Allar didn't even hear it. Too locked in. Too busy rattling off play calls to care about the hype.

But by the time the third-round pick from Penn State finished carving up the Packers, the entire Steel City was on its feet. Allar's preseason debut? Absolutely filthy. 10-of-13 for 153 yards, two passing touchdowns, and a rushing score that had defenders looking silly. The highlight? A 74-yard catch-and-run to fellow rookie Kaden Wetjen on third down that flipped the field in one blink.

ALLAR WASN'T THE ONLY ONE COOKING

Will Howard, the second-year QB who missed all of last preseason with a broken pinky, stepped in and reminded everyone why the Steelers took a flyer on him. 7-of-9 for 86 yards. Led a two-minute drill before halftime that ended with Lew Nichols plowing in from a yard out. Ice in his veins when it mattered most.

Coach Mike McCarthy couldn't hide his grin when talking about his young guns: “I thought as far as the way they took the play, commanded the huddle… I thought they were very poised. I liked the way all three of them played, especially our young guys.”

And get this: Aaron Rodgers didn't even suit up against his old squad, but he was in his mentor bag all night. Feeding knowledge to Allar and Howard between series — reading defensive pressures, telling them to find their safety blanket, staying in their ear like a sideline quarterback whisperer.

Howard admitted to early jitters after getting sacked on his first drive, but then flipped the switch with a gutsy 17-yard dart to Ben Skowronek on 4th-and-1, followed by three straight chunk plays to veteran tight end Robert Tonyan (16, 15, 23 yards) to set up the score. That's what we call growth.

Allar? He just kept stacking scoring drives. Three of his four series ended in points. The fourth? Victory formation. Ballgame.

“It's a huge confidence boost, but I think I came into the game confident just because of the preparation,” Allar said. Safe to say, Pittsburgh's quarterback room just got a whole lot more interesting.