Drew Allar Impresses in Steelers Debut, Torches Packers with Three Touchdowns originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Former Penn State Nittany Lion Drew Allar, who has seen a fair share of doubt from NFL fans this offseason, put together quite the first impression against the Green Bay Packers in his Pittsburgh Steelers debut.
The 22-year-old completed over 75% of his passes on Thursday night and was a large reason why Pittsburgh cruised to a 28-9 victory in front of their home faithful at Acrisure Stadium. While Aaron Rodgers will almost certainly see his name in the QB1 spot before the team's Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons on September 13, Allar may have begun his strong campaign to occupy the primary Steelers' backup spot.
Currently, according to ESPN, Allar sits as the fourth quarterback option in the Steel City. Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, and Will Howard are all slotted above the Penn State product at this time.
Here's a look at some highlights from Allar's preseason debut and what's ahead for the Steelers this season.
Drew Allar highlights vs. Packers
While the Penn State product started this game on the bench, he was finally called upon to show Pittsburgh what he's made of after halftime. With 4:21 to go in the third quarter, and after two Kaleb Johnson rushes, Allar finally got his shot to air the ball out.
As if it was written in the stars, 2026 No. 121 overall pick Kaden Wetjen took off running after Allar was able to find him cutting across the gridiron for his first completion of the night. Wetjen took this effort 75 yards and nearly scored.
Watch Kaden Wetjen break loose for 75 yards! @Steelers
— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2026
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This catch-and-run set up Allar to run into the end zone on his own for a simple three-yard rush and gave Pittsburgh the lead, which they would keep for the remainder of the game.
Drew Allar into the end zone on his first drive!
— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2026
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On the ensuing Steelers possession, the quarterback marched his squad down the field while completing six of seven passes before one more completion to Wetjen. This gave Pittsburgh a double-digit margin, which set them up for a victory cruise.
Steelers QB Drew Allar adds a passing TD to his statline:
— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2026
8/10
143 yards
Passing TD
Rushing TD
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While Pittsburgh did opt to rush the ball more on Allar's final complete possession, that didn't stop one of the newest Steelers from slotting the ball in the end zone one final time. With 1:51 to go in the fourth quarter, the 22-year-old rolled out for a play action and placed the ball perfectly over the shoulder of running back Riley Nowakowski. Allar led his team to the end zone in all three possessions that featured the ball moving forward for the Steelers.
Three drives. Three TDs for Drew Allar.
— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2026
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Drew Allar stats vs. Packers
| CMP | ATT | CMP% | Pass Yds | Pass TD | Rush TD | Y/CMP |
| 10 | 13 | 76.9% | 153 | 2 | 1 | 11.8 |
Pittsburgh Steelers schedule 2026
| Week | Date | Opponent | Kickoff time (ET) | TV channel |
| 1 | Sept. 13 | vs. Falcons | 1 p.m. | Fox |
| 2 | Sept. 20 | at Patriots | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 3 | Sept. 27 | vs. Bengals | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 4 | Oct. 1 | at Browns | 8:15 p.m. | Prime Video |
| 5 | Oct. 11 | vs. Colts | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 6 | Oct. 18 | at Buccaneers | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 7 | Oct. 25 | vs. Saints (Paris) | 9:30 a.m. | NFL Network |
| 8 | Nov. 1 | vs. Browns | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 9 | BYE | — | — | — |
| 10 | Nov. 15 | at Bengals | 8:20 p.m. | NBC |
| 11 | Nov. 22 | at Eagles | 4:25 p.m. | CBS |
| 12 | Nov. 27 | vs. Broncos | 3 p.m. | Prime Video |
| 13 | Dec. 6 | vs. Texans | 8:20 p.m. | NBC |
| 14 | Dec. 14 | at Jaguars | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| 15 | Dec. 20 | vs. Ravens | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 16 | TBD | vs. Panthers | TBD | TBD |
| 17 | Jan. 3 | at Titans | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 18 | TBD | at Ravens | TBD | TBD |
Pittsburgh Steelers preseason schedule 2026
| Week | Date | Opponent | Kickoff time (ET) | TV channel | Result |
| 1 | Aug. 13 | vs. Packers | 7 p.m. | KDKA | W, 28-9 |
| 2 | Aug. 21 | vs. Jets | 7 p.m. | KDKA | — |
| 3 | Aug. 27 | at Bills | 7 p.m. | KDKA | — |