The Pittsburgh Steelers opened their preseason slate on Thursday with a 28-9 win over the Green Bay Packers, and it was a good night for those hopeful that Drew Allar could be the next franchise quarterback after the conclusion of the Aaron Rodgers era.
With head coach Mike McCarthy not risking putting Rodgers on the field for preseason snaps, the Steelers got a good chance to look at the rest of the quarterback room on Thursday. And while Mason Rudolph earned the start, Drew Allar ended up being the shining star of the night for the Pittsburgh quarterback group.
While Rudolph had a slightly better completion percentage than Allar, he was also sacked twice and failed to lead a single scoring drive.
Allar was the third Steelers quarterback to see action, but he turned heads once he was in the game. He led the Steelers on three scoring drives in the second half as they turned a 1-point lead at halftime into a 19-point victory, and went 10-for-13 with 153 yards and two touchdowns while throwing no interceptions. He finished with a 154.8 passer rating.
.@Steelers rookie QB Drew Allar in his preseason debut:
— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2026
10/13, 154 yards, 2 pass TD, 155.1 passer rating, 1 rush TD 👏 pic.twitter.com/TzqSTuk7Dh
After his final collegiate season ended due to injury, he dropped down the draft board to the third round, and there were also questions about whether his college success would translate well to the NFL. But in his debut at the professional level, he proved that he not only has what it takes to play at the highest level, but he also might be the top contender to serve as the backup for Rodgers this season and to take the reins of the franchise in the future.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Drew Allar makes a strong case for backup QB role in preseason debut