Mike McCarthy: Drew Allar, Will Howard were very poised

Drew Allar is the only rookie quarterback on the Steelers roster, but he wasn't the only Steelers quarterback to play in an NFL game for the first time on Thursday night. Will Howard missed the preseason in 2025 after breaking his hand and he never played after being activated from injured reserve, so he joined Allar in getting his feet wet against the Packers. It was a positive night for both players. Howard followed Mason Rudolph into the game and went 7-of-9 for 86 yards and appeared to have a touchdown pass before tight end Robert Tonyan was ruled down a yard short of the end zone. The Steelers went on to score and then scored three touchdowns while Allar was in the game. The third-round pick's first pass went to wide receiver Kaden Wetjen for a 74-yard gain and set up an Allar rushing touchdown. The rookie was 10-of-13 for 153 yards and two scores overall and head coach Mike McCarthy had good things to say about both quarterbacks after the game. "I like the way our quarterbacks ran the offense and that’s the big thing. . . . I thought they were very poised," McCarthy said. "I liked the way all three of them played, especially our young guys. I liked the way Will responded. . . . He did a good job overcoming some long down on distances, and I thought his two-minute drill was outstanding. And I thought Drew played very, very well." McCarthy called night "a good start" for the Steelers and more of the same in the next couple of weeks will make for some interesting decisions about who makes the 53-man roster in Pittsburgh.