Pittsburgh spent too many seasons pretending it had an offense when what it really had was a collection of survival tactics. The Steelers were trying to manufacture points without a true identity, which meant the answer too often came down to whether the offense could improvise, Chris Boswell could hit a bunch of field goals, or whether the defense could keep the whole thing from collapsing.
Fans are hoping that all changed when Mike McCarthy walked in and did what Pittsburgh had not done in the modern era: hire a head coach specifically to fix the offense. Not a defensive identity with a few nice ideas attached. Not a vague promise to “be more explosive.” A real offensive system, built around timing, structure, and the idea that the quarterback should be playing from a script rather than improvising every third down.
The preseason opener against Green Bay was the first live look at whether that system is real. Not whether the quarterbacks “looked good.” Not whether the score was nice. Whether the machine works. And on a night when the Steelers beat the Packers 28–9, the answer was yes in this early snippet. The proof was in the way the offense operated. Not in one big play, but in the repeated shape of the play calls: short-to-intermediate routes matched to quarterback footwork, pre-snap motion forcing coverage declares, outside zone action pulling linebackers forward, and play-action shots built off the same run looks. That is McCarthy football in a nutshell, with the modern layer added on top.
What the system actually looked like on the field
McCarthy’s passing game is not some mystery box. It lives in the West Coast family tree, with the old Bill Walsh logic still visible underneath it: get the ball out on time, make defenders choose, and use route combinations to create leverage rather than asking the quarterback to wait for a hero ball. The modern version adds more motion, more RPO elements, more QB movement, and a much more deliberate use of the run game as a way to force the defense into bad spacing. That showed up immediately.
The Steelers were not throwing random preseason completions. They were creating access throws. That matters. In this offense, the quarterback is not just “finding the open man.” He is matching the throw to the structure of the route concept and the movement of the flat defender. If the flat defender sits inside to protect the slant, the outlet opens up. If he widens to the flat, the inside route has room to work. That conflict is the engine. It is football’s version of forcing a defender to choose between two bad answers.
McCarthy’s offense is built on synchronization. The footwork sets the timing. The timing sets the throw. The throw sets the leverage. That is also why the run game is not decorative. The Steelers leaned into outside zone looks and enough 12 personnel to make the defense respect the edges. One tight end blocks, the other threatens the seam, and the defense has to decide whether it wants to fit the run or stay honest in coverage. That is the whole point. The run game creates the lie. Play-action tells the truth. And in that sense, the preseason opener did exactly what a first installation should do. It did not just show plays. It showed the logic behind the offense.
Will Howard through the schematic lens
Will Howard’s line — 7-for-9 for 86 yards is fine. It is also not the point. The point is how he was able to operate within the system. Howard looked like a quarterback whose skill set is useful inside McCarthy’s design because he can survive the moving parts. He is mobile enough to punish the defense when the picture changes. He can carry an RPO and lead a highly operative offense without having to simplify itself into a high-school playbook. And he does not look allergic to structure, which is the important part. Every playbook he has learned throughout transferring in college to two head coaches in two years is why fans want Will Howard around.
That first live NFL action matters because Howard missed the entire 2025 preseason with a finger injury. This was his first real look at NFL speed in a game setting, and he handled it without looking like the moment was too big. The two-minute drill before halftime is the most useful Howard rep of the night because he looked comfortable enough to operate the script, and McCarthy praised the poise. That is meaningful because the two-minute drill compresses everything the offense asks of a quarterback: identify the coverage quickly, trust the footwork, avoid panic after the first edge rush, and get the ball out where the route expects it. Even a critical gutsy throw on 4th and 1 that kept that drive alive.
Howard’s path is obvious if the Steelers are honest about what he is. He is not Aaron Rodgers. He does not need to be. You can see the talent differences when watching a natural gun-slinger like Allar, but Howard’s ability to mentally process what is happening on the field is what makes him a competitive option coaches can’t deny.
Drew Allar through the schematic lens
Drew Allar’s stat line — 10-for-13, 153 yards, two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown. Granted he didn’t see his action until the 2nd half and it was against all of the Packers back-ups but there were good takeaways. He did not have to hunt for throws. He delivered them on time, which matters more than people think in a timing-based offense. A late throw that completes is not the same thing as a correct throw. The offense is built on correct throws.
Where does he need to grow? The same place most talented young quarterbacks do: speed of processing against disguise, consistency on deeper concepts, and the ability to survive the version of the NFL that does not gift you busted coverage. The arm is not the issue. The question is whether he can keep the same rhythm when the looks get more complex and keep the proper throwing mechanics.
His first NFL pass going to Kaden Wetjen for a 74-yard gain is a perfect example. Yes, Green Bay busted the coverage. That part is obvious. But the better point is that Allar was decisive and put the ball in the right spot immediately. On a quarterback’s first NFL snap, the difference between panic and poise is not small. Combine that with the arm talent, and that is what will make Steelers fans buy in that he is a part of their future.
Play action!
— Chris Mack (@THEChrisMack) August 14, 2026
Deep shots!
Middle of the field!!
Tight ends!!
Somewhere Matt Canada and Arthur Smith are throwing things at their TVs.
Top Steelers PFF Offensive Players against the Packers:
— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) August 14, 2026
1. TE Robert Tonyan (93.5)
2. WR Kaden Wetjen (88.0)
3. QB Mason Rudolph (87.3)
4. QB Will Howard (86.5)
5. WR Ben Skowronek (83.4)#Steelers #NFL
What changes when Rodgers runs this
Howard and Allar showed the blueprints. Aaron Rodgers will be the architect. Rodgers changes everything because he is the type of quarterback this offense was built to maximize in its later-stage form: the veteran who can manipulate coverage before the snap, who understands timing without needing a long explanation, and who can weaponize the exact route structures McCarthy wants to use.
That matters because Rodgers is not being asked to run some backyard-ball invention. He is being placed in a system with a language he already understands: rhythm, leverage, tempo, and pre-snap control. The difference is that Pittsburgh finally has the surrounding personnel and coaching intent to make that language coherent. Now implement the offensive roster improvements GM, Omar Khan made this offseason.
That changes the vertical structure of the offense. If the short game is built on slants, outs, spacing, and route combinations that force a defender to declare, Metcalf gives the offense the kind of downfield stress point that makes those underneath windows cleaner. The defense cannot sit on the short stuff if the back end has to respect a legitimate vertical threat who can win through contact.
And when the first-team line is in front of Rodgers, the design becomes even more dangerous. Play-action works when the run game is credible. Outside zone works when the backside defender has to respect the cutback. The whole thing stacks. The run threat opens the intermediate windows. The intermediate windows punish the safeties. The safeties coming downhill create the deep shot.
Seeing it in Action
This is why this scheme fits Rodgers better than anything Pittsburgh has run in years. It gives him what he still does best: control. He can manipulate the defense, use cadence & diagnose leverage. He can work a timing route before the defense fully settle and does not need to chase chaos.
That is why it was so crucial Rodgers came back this season. Providing that year cushion before deciding the ultimate future the young QBs can see this offense turn to one with an actual identity. The young quarterbacks showed the outlines. Rodgers is the one who can turn the outlines into damage.
The preseason is supposed to disappear into the calendar. Most of it does. But the first live look at a new offensive system is different because it tells you whether the team has an idea worth believing in. Maybe the Steelers finally have a turned the leaf on their offensive philosophy up and down. Howard and Allar showed the blueprints. Rodgers is the one who can turn them into something dangerous.
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