A week after scoring 28 points against the Green Bay Packers, the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense struggled in a 17-0 defeat against the New York Jets in their second preseason game Friday night at Acrisure Stadium.

Heading into this game, all eyes were on Will Howard and Drew Allar as they battle for roster spots. Both quarterbacks struggled as Howard completed 10 of 15 passes for 74 yards and two interceptions in the first half while Allar, who played the entire second half, completed just 11 of 23 attempts for 110 yards.

In the Steelers’ pursuit to settle on three quarterbacks, Friday night did little to help them make that determination.

Pittsburgh made mistakes when beginning to move the ball in the early going. After driving the team to the New York 14, Howard then threw an interception on a pass behind Roman Wilson that was picked off by Andre Cisco.

Howard later orchestrated a drive that got inside the Jets 40, but he threw his second pick as Samuel Womack III intercepted a short pass that again was intended for Wilson.

"One mistake leads to two, and that's what happened on both plays,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “There was something that wasn't right. Last week, [Howard] had two things that didn't go right and he played right through it… It's a shame because it was a hell of a drive he established."

Howard, the Steelers sixth-round pick in 2025, said he felt comfortable in the pocket and that he was reading his progressions well early on. However, he added that turning the ball over is unacceptable.

“Those two turnovers will really, really make it sour,” he said. “It’s a shame because we were driving the ball and we were in the red zone the one time and kind of in the logo gold zone the other one. We were making progress, we were getting the ball down there, but we’ve just got to be able to finish.” 

Last week, Mason Rudolph, Howard and Allar attained stellar performances, combining for 313 passing yards and two touchdowns. This week, Allar and Howard combined for a dismal 144 passing yards.

“I think just to use last week as comparable, we were able to make big plays and had a lot of production that overcame a lot of our mistakes, particularly the penalties,” McCarthy said. “We had mistakes, particularly on those two plays, that we didn't overcome, and that led to both those decisions and so forth. I think if I'm looking for one clean way to explain the production going down from eight days ago to [Friday], I just think the details in the execution weren't as high.” 

There were more than a few examples. Howard missed Wilson early on a third-down pass.  Lake McRee dropped a pass on a chance for a first down on a third down and four. Germie Bernard, after a strong showing last week, was targeted only once. Lance Mason and Jaheim Bell also dropped passes in the fourth quarter.

“We didn't make the contested catches today,” McCarthy said. “We didn't separate at the breaking points. That's my initial analysis. When we watch the tape and go through it tomorrow, there'll be some things on there that were better than we probably expected. And there definitely will be more to clean up this week than last week.”

The Jets defense also applied immense pressure as Allar was sacked three times, putting them in second- and third-and-long situations that ruined any chances at a solid drive.

“Obviously not good enough, not being able to go up and put any points on the board,” Allar said of his performance. “For me, I think it kind of started early. I just need to do a better job, especially early in drives, taking what's given. I felt like I passed up a couple opportunities early in drives that either set us back with an incompletion or a sack that, if I just take what's there, even if it's catch, tackle, we're not in backed-up situations.”

Pittsburgh couldn’t get traction on the ground either as the team ran for 98 yards on 26 carries. Kaleb Johnson mustered 39 yards on 10 carries and newcomer Rico Dowdle had 18 yards on five carries.

“We're trying to balance things out,” McCarthy said. “I think we're trying to move guys around. You're calling concepts based off of who's in there, even in the passing game. I thought (Johnson) did a nice job between the tackles. I thought he bounced the ball and was able to get him in the perimeter a few times, but it was a conscious effort to just give him some more opportunities.”

Although the Steelers struggled, McCarthy said he sees a confident look in Allar and Howard’s eyes -- both want to make themselves better.

The Steelers take on the Buffalo Bills next weekend, looking to finalize their regular season roster.

“We’re a staff that loves to teach, and we’ll have a chance,” McCarthy said. “We’ll take tomorrow…clean it up, and then Monday and Tuesday will be two of our last training camp practices. We’ll go really heavy and competitive there. We wish we would have been more productive today, but we’ll definitely have an opportunity to grow.” 

Photos by Mike Longo Jr.