Aug 13, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Drew Allar warms up for a pre-season game against the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Steelers Got An Answer

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Noah Strackbein | Last updated Aug 14, 2026 1:00 PM ET

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The Pittsburgh Steelers don't know who their backup quarterback is yet. Their battle between Will Howard and Mason Rudolph hasn't ended, and the future of the position is still unknown.

The Steelers got one answer, though.

Hiring Mike McCarthy to replace Mike Tomlin came with two objections: win a Super Bowl and develop a franchise quarterback. The first one can't be known in the preseason. The latter, you can see glimpses of in exhibition games, and the Steelers certainly saw that glimpse.

Without Aaron Rodgers on the field, the Steelers' quarterbacks completed 27 of 33 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns. All three - Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar - finished with over a 100 passer rating, with Allar leading the way with a 154.8 rating.

The offense looked smooth from start to finish in the team's 28-9 win over the Green Bay Packers. The ground game could use work, averaging just 2.6 yards per rush, but the passing game never struggled.

Here's What McCarthy Proved

All summer, the talk in Pittsburgh was about the quarterback school. A program McCarthy has put together and run since he started coaching in the NFL. Rodgers went through it years ago, and now, Rudolph, Howard and Allar are working their way through the system.

And it's clearly working. Howard is proving he's a capable quarterback who can process quickly and make much better throws than he did in college. Allar was the most exciting player on the field and went from a quarterback who could do almost nothing at rookie minicamp to a player everyone is excited about one game into his NFL career.

Even Rudolph looks like an improved quarterback at 31-years-old.

Steelers Got An Answer

It took only one game, but the Steelers got an answer on McCarthy. That answer being that their head coach certainly knows what he's doing with the quarterback position. That his ideas work and his system does help players develop.

Pittsburgh hasn't been able to say that for years. Since Ben Roethlisberger retired, this team has searched high and low, trying to find its next answer at quarterback.

There's now hope. Whether it ends up being Allar or Howard, the Steelers have one piece of the puzzle figured out - the head coach. So, however they move forward after Rodgers, there's hope.

Which is one problem Pittsburgh has been dying to figure out. And one that McCarthy just did.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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