Steelers' Winners And Losers From First 2026 Preseason Game Against The Packers

The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to get the win against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday evening in both teams' initial preseason matchups for the 2026 season. Mike McCarthy lived out his dream and had the opportunity to coach his hometown team for the first time, and there were both positives and negatives to take out of the experience. It's safe to say that there are plenty of things that the collective needs to work on moving forward, but there were also moments that should lead to plenty of excitement. The winners and losers of the evening were evident.

Steelers Winners

1.) Lew Nichols

Eight carries for 30 yards and a touchdown all went into an impressive first half for running back Lew Nichols. As he works to somehow find his way onto the 53-man roster, he made the most of his opportunities. When someone like Nichols plays as hard as he did, recognition is deserved. He even had another touchdown called back due to a penalty on Troy Fautanu.

2.) The Young Quarterbacks - Will Howard & Drew Allar

An eight-play, 80-yard drive in under two minutes was enough for Will Howard to convince everyone that he might have what it takes to be, at the very least, a formidable backup in the NFL. The quarterback had no reps during his rookie season when it came to in-game action, but he didn't disappoint on Thursday evening. The big-time possession ended with Nichols finding the end zone, but Howard looked sharp throughout, completely seven of nine passes for 87 yards.

How can fans not love the third-down conversion that led to a 74-yard gain to Drew Allar's fellow rookie in Kaden Wetjen. Just two plays later, the quarterback ran it in for a touchdown. Then, he led another drive that ended in a score as he found Wetjen on a short throw. Altogether, the first-year signal-caller hit 10 of 13 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Three possessions ending in scores for Allar is not something that will evade the headlines.

3.) Asante Samuel Jr.

Joey Porter Jr. continues to miss time with a back issue and/or the lack of a contract extension. Asante Samuel Jr. has taken advantage of that. The cornerback has performed well throughout camp, and didn't slow down against the Packers. He had a big pass break-up in the red zone while guarding starting Packers wideout Jayden Reed in the first quarter, and the defender proved that he might already be in midseason form in August.

4.) Rookie Wide Receivers - Germie Bernard & Kaden Wetjen

It was a good start to Germie Bernard's professional career. He hauled in four passes for 51 yards in the first half, and likely inspired a ton of confidence with the coaching staff. The Steelers will be in an incredible spot at the receivers' spot if the rookie can perform, and his first NFL appearance was certainly something that he can build off of.

No one can forget about the performance from Wetjen, either. His electrifying 74-yard catch-and-run in the second half was a highlight, but he also found the end zone to extend the Steelers' lead midway through the fourth quarter. Two receptions for 79 yards and a score is not half bad for a fourth-round pick who was originally only seen as a return man.

5.) Robert Tonyan

While he wasn't added early in the offseason, tight end Robert Tonyan is a veteran who has plenty of experience. He was a top target of the offense into the second half of the game, catching five passes for 61 yards. He was especially a favorite of Howard's, as the two connected several times for completions. Overall, the experienced playmaker had a great showing and there shouldn't be much argument about the offense's third tight end spot.

6.) Broderick Jones

The Steelers took Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He hasn't turned out to be a franchise tackle; however, no one expected him to be participating in preseason action after having neck surgery due to an injury he sustained in November of 2025. It was great to see him out on the field and getting reps. On top of that, he looked pretty solid while competing out there.

7.) Mike McCarthy

McCarthy deserves some credit. There were some flaws that will be touched on, but the quarterbacks looked great. The offense also put up points and a lot of what the head coach preaches was backed up by his players on the field. Patrick Graham also had a good first impression, even if the top defensive stars weren't out there for long. Overall, the glue to the new coaching staff put together a solid showing.

Steelers Losers

1.) Danny Crossman / Special Teams

The Steelers had five special teams penalties in the first seven minutes of the game. It doesn't matter what happened for the rest of the game after that kind of start. New special teams coach Danny Crossman deserves some blame for the poor showing. Additionally, there was a flag on the unit during the first play of the second half on a kick return. Play-calling and other facets of the game will take time to get into rhythm, but special teams penalties are simply unacceptable.

2.) Troy Fautanu

Pittsburgh made the decision to move Fautanu to left tackle for his third professional season. Unfortunately, it started out poorly. He was flagged multiple times during the first half against Green Bay and also was partially responsible for a sack early on. Someone as talented as Fautanu has no excuse in mid-August to be making critical mistakes. Dylan Cook receives honorable mention here as well for also getting pushed into the backfield too much in a small sample size.

3.) Kaleb Johnson

With Nichols and Travis Homer running the show for Pittsburgh in the first half as far as running backs go, Kaleb Johnson was nowhere to be found. He has been labeled as a cut candidate, which would be extremely unfortunate for someone who was a third-round selection back in 2025. 

His first appearance came toward the very end of the third quarter and he proceeded to have two carries for three yards. Eli Heidenreich took over on the next few series, which spells a really bad omen for Johnson.

4.) Team Penalties

It wasn't just the special teams group that struggled in the penalty department. The Steelers were flagged way too much and it being a preseason game is no legitimate excuse. McCarthy needs to find a way to clean this up, and quickly. Nothing will ruin games more than unnecessary and undisciplined infractions. Having 10 penalties for 121 yards is inexcusable.

Steelers Had A Winner And Loser All In One

Mason Rudolph did not play bad by any stretch. He didn't have much help from his offensive line and still completed 10 of 11 passes for 93 yards. However, despite his strong performance, the two youngsters ahead of him proved that they could do it too. The ongoing discussion about the Steelers' quarterback situation behind Aaron Rodgers will now get even more interesting following Thursday night's contest. The veteran could certainly be expendable via trade or release.

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