The Steelers are 1-1 in the preseason, but it sure doesn't feel that way after what happened last Friday. A 17-0 shutout at home against the Jets, two interceptions from Will Howard, and an offense that couldn't get out of its own way for sixty minutes. Now they head to Buffalo for the preseason finale Thursday night, and there's a lot more riding on this one than a meaningless final score.
The game is at Highmark Stadium at 7 p.m. on WIVB, and it's the last real audition before the roster gets chopped to 53. Mike McCarthy already told reporters he wants to get the young quarterbacks on the field again, same as last week. So here are the three things I'm actually watching, because these are the ones that'll tell us something about the team that matters once September gets here.
1. Does Drew Allar finally separate himself from Will Howard?
The backup quarterback situation behind Aaron Rodgers is the most important unresolved question on this roster, and the Jets game only muddied it. Howard threw two interceptions and looked rattled. Allar went 11 of 23 for 110 yards with no touchdowns, which isn't pretty on paper, but anyone who actually watched saw his receivers dropping passes left and right. He wasn't the problem. The stat line was.
Buffalo is 2-0 and might actually play some of its real defenders, which is exactly the test Allar hasn't gotten yet. He's spent this preseason facing third and fourth stringers. If he goes into Orchard Park, against better competition, and still looks composed, that tells McCarthy a lot more than the Jets box score ever did. Howard might still make the roster, but this is Allar's chance to stake a real claim to the No. 2 job, or at least to make the decision uncomfortable. I want to see him get the bulk of the snaps and actually do something with them.
2. Can this offense score a single point, and can the line protect whoever's back there?
This is the obvious one after a shutout, and it's the part that should bug fans the most. Zero points. Four sacks allowed. The offensive line couldn't keep the quarterbacks upright, and when it did, the receivers weren't making plays. Kaleb Johnson led the ground game with 39 yards on 10 carries. Lake McRee was the leading receiver with 46 yards. Those aren't numbers, they're a cry for help.
There was a bright spot on the other side of the ball, and it's worth naming. Elandon Roberts led the team with five tackles and Carson Bruener picked up a sack, so the defense at least kept swinging even with most of the starters watching from the sideline. But a shutout is a shutout, and it stands in sharp contrast to the 28 points this same offense hung on Green Bay eight days earlier.
It's preseason, and Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph both sat, so I'm not about to overreact. But the whole point of these games is execution. Mental errors, pre-snap penalties, and a line that leaks pressure are the exact things McCarthy has been hammering all camp. If the Steelers go into Buffalo and get blanked again, even against backups, that's a real conversation about where this offense actually is. I don't need 30 points. I need clean drives, some protection, and a receiver who catches a contested ball.
3. Who's actually going to be in the receiver room?
Here's the thing nobody's talking about enough: the receiver depth chart is in worse shape than the quarterback depth chart right now. Michael Pittman Jr., DK Metcalf, and Caullin Lacy are all listed as questionable. Those are three of the top options in that room, and if any of them are nursing something into September, the guys behind them have to be ready. That's the same group that let Allar down against the Jets. With the cutdown to 53 coming right after this game, Thursday is their last chance to prove they belong.
This is also where the Bills game gets interesting beyond the scoreboard. Buffalo is 2-0, having handled Carolina and Cleveland, and their own depth is worth a look, but the Steelers' bubble is where the real drama is. If Pittman and Metcalf sit or play limited snaps, the bubble receivers and tight ends get a full game to fight for jobs. Kenyon Sadiq is banged up too, and the defensive backfield has Jalen Ramsey and Brandon Smith both questionable, so there's opportunity up and down the pass-catching depth chart and in the secondary. Watch who's running with the twos early, because that's the staff tipping its hand on who's safe and who's sweating.
The Bills are 2-0 and playing at home, and Pittsburgh is 1-1 and trying to wash the taste of a shutout out of its mouth. I'm not asking for a preseason Super Bowl. I'm asking for three things: Allar to look like he belongs, the offense to put points on the board, and the receivers to give us a reason to trust the depth. If they can do that Thursday night, the Jets game becomes a bad memory instead of a warning sign.
