The Pittsburgh Steelers had a very rough game in their preseason Week 2 loss against the New York Jets. They got blanked 17-0 in a contest that had very few positive things to take away. It's still the preseason, so it's not all bad just yet, but there are still some legitimate concerns that came up that need to be addressed sooner rather than later. A shutout like this leads to every single person on the offensive side of the ball taking some blame, and it could lead to some easier decisions for roster cuts.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy looks on during Pittsburgh's 17-0 loss to the New York Jets during the 2026 preseason.
When Drew Allar was under center, these issues were apparent. He completed under 50% of his passes and got sacked three times while facing pressure on more snaps. It wasn't entirely his fault, but there were moments that showed that he's still a rookie and a project that will take a while to develop. A failure like this can help him see exactly what he needs to fix.
He already has some ideas for how to improve over the next couple weeks. During his postgame press conference, Allar spoke about one detail in particular that he believes will make him a much better quarterback sooner rather than later.
"For me, the more times I can get the ball out to my first or second read, the better," Allar said. "I don't know how many sacks I took tonight, but I feel like at least two or three of those were probably on me just holding the ball in the pocket."
Despite everything that happened in that game, as easy as it would have been to blame the offensive line, Allar took it like a professional and blamed himself for everything that went wrong. He ended up taking three sacks in the game at just under 10 yards lost per sack, so he took credit for most or all of those plays in particular. There may be some truth to what he is saying as well.
Allar is known as a big-time playmaker thanks to his great physical tools, and like most young gunslingers, he wants to take every chance he can to show them off. It did work once, when he was able to roll out and hit tight end Lake McRee on the sideline for a 38-yard gain. Outside of that, extending plays usually ended in a negative play or an incompletion.
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Steelers rookie quarterback Drew Allar scrambles during an NFL preseason game in August of 2026.
At the very least, it's great to see a rookie like Allar just roll with the punches and take accountability for everything that happened while coming up with an honest self-assessment of what he could do better. That's the kind of mindset that makes coaches love a player, whether they're as talented as him or not. This is a positive sign for the young quarterback's long-term development.
Steelers Need To Help Allar Much More Than They Did Friday Night
Allar's mentality is great for development, but it's also hard to get things going when guys are dropping passes and offensive linemen are struggling to sustain their blocks. It seemed like there was not a single offensive player who did his job consistently during this contest. Even if the rookie did everything right, it doesn't matter when he is not getting much help from anyone around him.
Obviously, Allar did not get any reps with the starters, but he's still expected to work with a lot of these players throughout the season as he takes practice reps on the scout team with the last-string guys and practice squad players. The focus is strictly on his mechanics, but it would be nice to get some positive reinforcement from his teammates to continue to help him grow mentally and gain confidence in himself.
What do you think about Allar explaining what he thinks he needs to do to be a better quarterback while also refusing to blame everyone but himself for the offense's struggles? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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