Steelers 28, Packers 9: Drew Allar Debuts With Three Scores

August 13, 2026 - Pittsburgh - The loudest sound at Acrisure Stadium was not Aaron Rodgers. He did not play. It was "Drewwww" when third-round rookie Drew Allar jogged in, then a 74-yard strike, then a 3-yard keeper. The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Green Bay Packers 28-9, and Mike McCarthy's first night coaching his hometown team looked like a quarterback audition that actually found a pulse.

Pittsburgh outgained Green Bay 385-160. The Packers scored three field goals and nothing else. Both clubs were sloppy (11 flags for 135 yards on the Steelers, nine for 76 on Green Bay). The tape that travels is still Allar.

Howard wins the two-minute, then Allar takes the rest

Mason Rudolph opened (10-of-11, 93 yards) with the first-team skill players mostly sitting. Jordan Love got a cameo and left healthy, which was the assignment after last year's preseason hand injury.

Will Howard entered with 10:14 left in the second quarter to a standing ovation. He had not played since Ohio State's 2025 CFP title run. Eight plays, 80 yards. Robert Tonyan, a former Packer, caught three straight for 16, 15, and 22. The last one was ruled down inside the 1 after a booth look. Lew Nichols punched it in from a yard. 7-6, Pittsburgh, 46 seconds left in the half. Howard finished 7-of-9 for 86 yards.

Allar's first highlight was the 74-yarder to fellow rookie Kaden Wetjen, who was tackled at the 3. Allar kept the next one. 14-9. He later found Wetjen for a 5-yard score and Riley Nowakowski for a 4-yard score. 10-of-13, 154 yards, two passing TDs, one rushing TD. Steelers quarterbacks put the ball on the ground six times all night.

Vanilla defense, real depth-chart noise

Green Bay's defense played fundamentals, not disguises. Pittsburgh still found receivers running free. That is August. It is also why Allar's night will show up in every camp report this week and why it should not be treated like a Week 1 road win in the snow.

Nichols ran 10 times for 36 yards and the sneak. Tonyan had four catches for 61 yards. The starters Pittsburgh held out (T.J. Watt, DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman, the lead backs) will be the ones who actually decide January. Thursday decided who gets the next reps behind Rodgers.

Green Bay hosts its next preseason look after a night that produced 160 yards and three kicks. Love's health was the win. Everything else was evaluation.

AthX Engine, if this were a regular-season card

Apply the AthX Engine NFL scoring table to the box, not a live weekly leaderboard.

Allar: 154 pass yards (12.3), two pass TDs (12), plus a 3-yard rushing TD (6.8 from that play) = about 31 QB fantasy points. Tonyan at tight end: 4 catches, 61 yards = 21.3 with TE premium. Nichols: 36 rush yards and a TD = 15. Howard's 86 pass yards = 6.9. Those are production grades on an exhibition. They are not share prices, and they are not regular-season boards until NFL weekly lines are live.

Track Rodgers, Love, and the Steelers on the marketplace.

*Sources: ESPN recap, Steelers.com, AP via ABC. Information only; not financial advice.*