Pittsburgh closes the preseason with a 28–27 loss in Buffalo, but the biggest questions heading into Week 1 have very little to do with the final score.
And just like that, the dress rehearsals are over.
The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up their 2026 preseason Thursday night with a 28–27 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium, finishing the exhibition schedule 1–2.
But if you are trying to figure out exactly what this Steelers team is based on those three games, good luck.
We saw flashes. We saw mistakes. We saw some young players make legitimate cases for roster spots. We saw one night when the offense looked surprisingly explosive, another when it couldn't score a single point, and a finale in Buffalo that included enough good and bad to keep Steelers fans arguing until kickoff in Week 1.
What we haven't really seen is the team that Pittsburgh is actually planning to put on the field when the games count.
And that is what makes this season so intriguing.
One Point Short in Buffalo
The Steelers appeared to be headed toward a preseason-closing victory Thursday.
They jumped out to a 14–3 lead, benefited from a couple of Buffalo special-teams mistakes, and received touchdowns from rookies Germie Bernard and Lake McRee. Later, Kaden Wetjen provided one of the highlights of the entire Steelers preseason when he took a punt back 45 yards for a touchdown.
But Pittsburgh couldn't finish it.
Buffalo drove 59 yards on six plays late in the fourth quarter, scored on a two-yard Ian Wheeler run, and then converted the two-point attempt to take a 28–27 lead with 1:06 remaining. Drew Allar and the Steelers were given one final opportunity, but the drive ended on fourth down.
It's preseason, so nobody is losing sleep over the final score.
What matters is what happened along the way.
And there was plenty to digest.
Germie Bernard Continues to Look Like a Player
One of the most encouraging developments of the preseason has been rookie wide receiver Germie Bernard.
Bernard caught four passes for 51 yards in the opener against Green Bay, showing the run-after-catch ability that made him intriguing coming out of Alabama. Against Buffalo, he turned his only reception into a 13-yard touchdown, breaking a tackle and getting into the end zone.
With DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. giving Pittsburgh established veterans at the top of the depth chart, Bernard doesn't need to immediately become the focal point of the passing game.
He needs to become another weapon defenses have to account for.
So far, he has looked capable of becoming exactly that.
Kaden Wetjen May Have Forced the Steelers' Hand
Preseason football is supposed to create opportunities for players who aren't guaranteed anything.
Kaden Wetjen took advantage of his.
His 45-yard punt-return touchdown against Buffalo showed why Pittsburgh has continued giving him opportunities despite some shaky moments earlier in the preseason. Against the Jets, ball-security issues in the return game were a real concern.
Against Buffalo, we saw the other side of the equation.
Wetjen has legitimate explosiveness.
When roster decisions come down to the final few spots, special teams can be the difference between making the 53 and getting a phone call after cutdown day.
Wetjen gave Pittsburgh something to think about.
The Will Howard Question Got More Complicated
Will Howard's preseason started about as well as anyone could have hoped.
Against Green Bay, Howard completed 10 of 11 passes for 93 yards while helping Pittsburgh's offense roll in a 28–9 victory.
Then came the Jets.
Howard threw two interceptions during Pittsburgh's 17–0 loss.
Thursday night, he threw another.
Howard finished the Buffalo game 9-of-15 for 69 yards with two touchdown passes and an interception before turning the offense over to Drew Allar in the second half.
The talent is obvious. So is the confidence.
But three interceptions over the final two preseason games are difficult to ignore.
That doesn't mean Howard suddenly became a bad prospect. Far from it. He's still developing, and this preseason represented his first NFL game action after missing the entire 2025 preseason with injury.
But if there was a genuine competition to become Aaron Rodgers' primary backup, Howard probably didn't slam the door shut.
The Steelers have Mason Rudolph's experience, Howard's upside and rookie Drew Allar's developmental potential to sort through.
That's not necessarily a bad problem.
It is, however, a decision.
Drew Allar Gave Pittsburgh Reasons to Be Patiently Excited
Allar might be the most interesting long-term story on the roster.
In his first preseason appearance against Green Bay, the rookie completed 10 of 13 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown. It was an impressive debut for a quarterback Pittsburgh selected in the third round.
The next two games weren't nearly as spectacular.
That's okay.
Nobody should be asking Drew Allar to save the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2026.
This season should be about development.
The encouraging part is that there have already been flashes of why Pittsburgh liked him. Size, arm talent and enough poise to suggest there could be something worth developing.
Mike McCarthy even intentionally treated Thursday's failed late drive as a learning opportunity, telling Allar afterward that he wanted to see how the rookie handled an NFL comeback situation.
That's exactly what preseason football should be for a young quarterback.
The Biggest Question: What Does the REAL Offense Look Like?
This is the elephant in the room.
Aaron Rodgers did not play Thursday night.
In fact, Pittsburgh protected him throughout the preseason.
So we've spent three games watching Mike McCarthy's offense without the quarterback Mike McCarthy's offense was largely designed around.
That makes the Steelers extremely difficult to evaluate.
Training camp offered glimpses. Rodgers connected with DK Metcalf. He worked Pat Freiermuth over the middle. Pittsburgh repeatedly practiced two-minute situations, something McCarthy emphasized because of how frequently NFL games are decided in the closing possessions.
Freiermuth has publicly praised McCarthy's offense, specifically pointing to its use of the middle of the field and the collection of talent Pittsburgh has available.
That's encouraging.
But practice isn't Sunday afternoon.
We still haven't seen Rodgers, Metcalf, Pittman, Freiermuth, the running backs and Pittsburgh's starting offensive line operate together for four quarters.
Week 1 will be our first real answer.
Can the Offensive Line Give Rodgers Enough Time?
This might be the question that determines the ceiling of the entire season.
Rodgers doesn't need to be the 2011 version of Aaron Rodgers for Pittsburgh to win football games.
But he needs protection.
When Rodgers has time, his ability to diagnose a defense, manipulate coverage and get the football to the right player remains the reason Pittsburgh brought him here.
One of the biggest developments late in August was the return of first-round offensive lineman Max Iheanachor, who had been sidelined with a neck/shoulder injury. He was finally cleared to return before the Buffalo game and made his preseason debut in the finale.
Pittsburgh doesn't need perfection up front immediately.
It does need stability.
Because this entire offensive experiment becomes considerably more difficult if Rodgers is constantly dealing with pressure.
The Defense Could Still Be the Identity of This Team
There wasn't much excitement surrounding the 17–0 loss to the Jets, but the defense produced several encouraging individual performances.
Veteran linebacker Elandon Roberts, who returned to Pittsburgh late in camp, immediately looked comfortable and physical. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham already knew Roberts from their time together in Las Vegas, making the transition easier.
Then there's the secondary.
Jalen Ramsey was activated from the PUP list this week after recovering from the knee injury that kept him out through much of camp. Pairing a healthy Ramsey with Joey Porter Jr. gives Pittsburgh potentially fascinating options on the back end.
And, of course, the Steelers still have the established veterans up front who have defined this defense for years.
If Pittsburgh's offense can become simply consistent rather than spectacular, this defense could keep them in a lot of football games.
The Most Frustrating Part of the Preseason? Inconsistency.
If you wanted one word to describe these three games, it might be inconsistent.
Against Green Bay:
Steelers 28, Packers 9.
The quarterbacks looked terrific. The rookie class flashed. The defense played well. Pittsburgh looked organized and dangerous.
Eight days later:
Jets 17, Steelers 0.
Howard threw two interceptions. The offense couldn't establish any rhythm. Pittsburgh was shut out in a preseason game for the first time since 2016. McCarthy himself pointed to a drop in detail and execution from the opener.
Then Buffalo:
Bills 28, Steelers 27.
Big plays. Rookie touchdowns. A punt return to the house.
And a defense that couldn't preserve the lead in the final minutes.
Welcome to preseason football.
Reasons for Optimism
There are legitimate reasons to feel good about this team.
The young receiving talent has flashed.
Allar has shown enough to make his development worth watching.
Pittsburgh appears to have multiple options at quarterback behind Rodgers.
Wetjen could give the return game genuine explosiveness.
Ramsey is back.
The defense should have plenty of talent.
And maybe most importantly, Pittsburgh has spent an entire offseason installing a Mike McCarthy offense that we have barely seen.
There could be another gear here.
Reasons for Concern
There are also legitimate questions.
Can the offensive line consistently protect a 42-year-old quarterback?
Can Rodgers stay healthy for 17 games?
Will Pittsburgh be able to run the football when opponents know it has to?
Who becomes the dependable third and fourth option in the passing game?
Can the defense close games when Pittsburgh has a late lead?
Will the turnovers that plagued Howard matter if he's called upon during the season?
And after so little preseason work together, how long will it take the starting offense to develop real game-speed chemistry?
Those aren't minor questions.
They're the questions that could separate a legitimate AFC contender from another Steelers season spent fighting for a Wild Card spot in December.
And Now It Counts
The experimentation is finished.
Pittsburgh gets two weeks to make its roster decisions, refine the offense and prepare for the beginning of the Mike McCarthy era.
Then the Atlanta Falcons come to Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, September 13 at 1 p.m.
After that comes New England.
Then Cincinnati.
Then a Thursday night trip to Cleveland.
So Pittsburgh won't have much time to figure itself out.
The preseason gave us clues, but not conclusions.
We know the defense should be talented.
We know there are intriguing young players on this roster.
We know Mike McCarthy has spent months building this offense.
And we know Aaron Rodgers was brought to Pittsburgh because the Steelers believe there is still enough left in that right arm to make a serious run.
What we don't know is whether all of those pieces actually fit together.
That's what makes September fascinating.
Because after three games of backups, experiments, roster auditions and vanilla game plans, we're finally about to see the team Pittsburgh actually built.
Preseason is over.
Now we find out whether these Steelers are merely interesting — or actually dangerous.
