Will Howard’s first NFL start was always going to be about more than the scoreline, but the Steelers will still want a cleaner return from a quarterback audition that ended in a 17-0 preseason loss to the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium.
The second-year quarterback completed 10 of 15 passes for 74 yards and threw two interceptions on Friday night, giving the Steelers their first live look at him after he missed his rookie season because of a hand injury. A week earlier, Howard and Drew Allar had both posted big numbers, but this was a different sort of test.
Howard’s first look comes with obvious lessons
The value of this game was always likely to sit in the evaluation rather than the result, and that is exactly how the Steelers appear to be treating it. As noted in the build-up to the game, this was about giving Howard a start against the New York Jets while also giving Drew Allar a longer look in a second preseason game that was more about information than fireworks.
Howard had moments of control, but the two interceptions were the clear negatives on a night when the Steelers never found a rhythm offensively. In a shutout loss, mistakes stand out quickly, and that is why the film will matter as much as the raw numbers.
McCarthy keeps the bigger picture in view
Mike McCarthy was calm afterwards and made it clear that one difficult outing would not change his view of the two young quarterbacks. He said, “Just to have a chance to look in their eyes on the sidelines, I have no concern so far.”
He added: “I don't see any blink in their performance.”
That matters, because this was never just a question of whether Howard could survive one preseason start. It was also a chance for the staff to judge how he and Drew Allar handled the moment, the pressure and the process. McCarthy summed that up by saying, “This is our second game together,” before adding, “I wish we'd have been more productive.”
A setback, but not a final verdict
Howard himself did not hide from the two turnovers. “Both of them were unfortunate,” he said. “Just can't happen.”
That is the right response from a quarterback who knows a first start can be judged harshly, especially when it ends in a blank on the scoreboard. But for the Steelers, the broader point is that this was a teaching opportunity as much as a test, and Friday night supplied the kind of live evidence that practice cannot fully replicate.
The next step will be about how Howard responds, because one preseason outing does not decide a young quarterback’s future. It does, however, give the Steelers a clearer picture of where the work still needs to be done.
