Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Will Howard and Drew Allar combined for two interceptions, four sacks, and zero points during a 17-0 preseason shutout against the New York Jets on August 21, 2026, at Acrisure Stadium, though team sources confirm their roster spots remain secure.
The Pittsburgh Steelers failed to find the scoreboard on Friday night, dropping their second exhibition contest of the NFL preseason to the New York Jets. Despite entering the opponent’s territory on four distinct occasions, the offense sputtered under the guidance of young signal-callers Will Howard and Drew Allar, who split snaps in the wake of veteran Aaron Rodgers resting for the evening.
The shutout loss marked a stark regression from a week prior when the Steelers’ offense lit up the scoreboard for 28 points against the Green Bay Packers. Head coach Mike McCarthy pointed directly to execution issues and costly mistakes after the final whistle.
Mike McCarthy, head coach via ESPN
Will Howard Struggles With Interceptions in First Career Start
Making his first career start, Howard played the entire first half and completed 10 of 15 passes for 74 yards. He showed flashes early by connecting with Roman Wilson on a 14-yard completion and finding Ben Skowronek for 16 yards on third-and-8 to move deep into Jets territory. However, two second-quarter interceptions derailed those promising drives.
Both turnovers targeted Wilson and were intercepted by the Jets’ secondary. Howard took full blame for the miscues after the game, explaining that a shallow cross route drifted slightly, allowing the safety to jump the play, while the second throw was undercut.
“Both of them were unfortunate,” Howard said. “Just can’t happen. Running a shallow cross and kind of drift a little bit and the safety jumped it. Just got to see in front.”
Will Howard, quarterback via ESPN
McCarthy noted that the receiver routes and throws lacked cleanliness on those specific sequences. One mistake leads to two and it happened on both plays, McCarthy said, adding that Howard needed to play through the adversity.
Drew Allar Handles Second-Half Snaps Amid Roster Decisions
Rookie third-round draft pick Drew Allar took over under center for the second half, completing 11 of 23 passes for 110 yards while absorbing three sacks.
Despite the offensive struggles, team sources told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that decisions regarding Howard and Allar making the initial 53-man roster were already established prior to Friday night’s matchup. With the team evaluating depth behind Rodgers and primary backup Mason Rudolph—who did not play against the Jets because McCarthy stated he saw enough in the opener against Green Bay—the young quarterbacks remain firmly in the franchise’s immediate plans heading into the preseason finale.
Will Howard, a sixth-round pick in 2025 who performed well in his NFL debut a week ago, threw two interceptions on Friday night in a 17-0 loss to the Jets. For the night, Howard completed 10 of 15 passes for 74 yards in four drives. The two efforts that didn’t end in turnovers were three-and-outs.
“I felt really comfortable in the pocket,” Howard said after the game, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “I felt like I was going through my progressions well, especially early first and second down, and felt good about how I played, but those two turnovers will really, really make it sour.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have failed to get on the scoreboard during Friday night’s preseason game, but Drew Allar continued to impress. It was another game against Aaron Rodgers’ former teams as the Steelers took on the New York Jets in Pittsburgh. However, the 42-year-old veteran was not in action again as he prepares himself for his final-ever season in the NFL. Not a single point was put on the board as the Jets secured themselves a 17-0 win over Mike McCarthy’s team. A difficult night was endured by both Allar and Will Howard at quarterback for the Steelers, but there were some moments that really impressed fans about the 2026 draft pick. Allar was handed the majority of the snaps on Friday night as he completed 11 of his attempted 23 throws.
There will be one more preseason game to determine how many quarterbacks Steelers coach Mike McCarthy will keep on his 53-man roster. But he doesn’t need another game to know this: Will Howard and Drew Allar will be on the team. That decision was reached even before Friday night’s 17-0 preseason loss against the New York Jets, team sources told the Post-Gazette. It didn’t even matter that both Howard and Allar failed to perform like they did a week earlier when they had the town buzzing. They will be kept when the Steelers reduce their roster to 53 players after Thursday night’s preseason finale in Buffalo, as reported by Ray Fittipaldo.
Allar finished his night in relief of Will Howard with completions on 11 of his 23 passes for 110 yards. He was the victim of frequent penalties and drops from his receivers, but also looked hesitant with his downfield reads in the pocket. He avoided the major mistakes Howard made, but generally did not distinguish himself from his teammate meaningfully. The running game, at least, showed modest improvement week to week. Kaleb Johnson led the way with 10 carries for 39 yards as the Steelers totaled 98 yards on the ground.
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