Postgame reactions, commentary and analysis following the Steelers' 28-9 win against the Packers:
The kids look all right on offense
Even with first-round pick Max Iheanachor sidelined by a day-to-day injury from training camp, the Steelers already have much rave about in the rookie class from the Pittsburgh draft. On a night that a new exhibit opened at the Hall of Honor Museum to commemorate the 2026 NFL Draft held here, just about every player the Steelers selected over that weekend shined in an Acrisure Stadium debut.
Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard, whom the Steelers traded up for in the second round, looked like a natural at this level with four receptions for 51 yards on a team-high five targets. His 25-yard catch-and-run turned a short completion from Mason Rudolph into much more.
"I feel like one of my best character traits as a player is my run-after-catch," Bernard said. "When I get the ball in my hands, I just do what I do best."
Penn State's Drew Allar, the first of three third-round picks, accounted for three touchdowns while throwing for 153 yards with just three incompletions. Allar was decisive, making good use of his natural arm strength, and didn't look like a first-timer being overwhelmed by the speed of the game.
"I feel like the first rushing touchdown I had was like the first hit I've had in, I don't know how long, but since mid-October," Allar said. "That kind of got the physical part out of the way."
Fourth-rounder Kaden Wetjen, the first pick of day three out of Iowa, took one of his receptions 74 yards and his second one was a 5-yard touchdown. Drafted primarily for his return ability on punts and kicks, Wetjen didn't have room to do much with the ball in his hands in that area, but his decision-making was solid on a night when he surely had some jitters.
Riley Nowakowski, the fifth-rounder who can play both tight end and fullback, atoned for an earlier drop by plucking a 4-yard touchdown later in the game.
The kids look all right on defense, too
It was an offense-heavy draft, but the rookie contributions didn't end there. How about sixth-rounder Gabriel Rubio teaming up with Yahya Black to stuff a Packers handoff for 1 yard late in the first half? That's a lot of size up front, with the 6-foot-5, 330-pound Black and 6-5, 321-pound Rubio. They're the two heaviest defensive players on the roster by their listed weights.
Seventh-round pick Robert Spears-Jennings started at safety and had a tackle for loss when he sniffed out a completion to running back Pierre Strong. Spears-Jennings has quickly climbed the depth chart amid injuries in the secondary.
And Devan Boykin wasn't even drafted out of Indiana, but made a big play from his slot cornerback spot. When Kyle McCord tried to fit in a hole shot to 6-4 receiver Saivion Williams down the right sideline, Boykin climbed the ladder and batted away the pass to prevent a long completion.
"It was just amazing," Boykin said. "It was a great feeling. Obviously, it was our first game, getting our feet wet, just getting started. For us to go out there and make an impact and be able to help this team win in a positive way is good."
Hometown heroes
Let's just start with the sideline boss. Mike McCarthy, head coach, Pittsburgh Steelers. From the announcement of his hiring, to his introductory press conference, to his first practice, it was never more real than when he walked onto the field in the city where he was born and raised and led the Steelers into game action.
"It's been a heavy day," McCarthy said from the podium in his first postgame comments in his new job. "I'm looking forward to waking up tomorrow."
Tomorrow is never promised for late-round picks or undrafted players, which isn't lost on running back Eli Heidenreich or receiver Levi Wentz. But as proud alumni of Mt. Lebanon and Pine-Richland high schools, respectively, both relished the opportunity to pull on a black Steelers game jersey, gold pants and wear that helmet in the arena visited countless times growing up.
"We're driving from Latrobe here, it's a beautiful night, crossing whatever bridge it was and you see the stadium in the distance," said Heidenreich, who rushed nine times for 21 yards. "Trying to enjoy the moment. I'm really focused on what was at hand, but kind of trying to absorb a lot and not take any moment for granted."
Heidenreich and Wentz posed for a photo afterward with Packers receiver Skyy Moore, a New Kensington native who starred at Shady Side Academy, and cornerback MJ Devonshire, a Pitt product via Aliquippa High School. Wentz and his family had season tickets for Pitt, and he was pointing out the section they sat in to some teammates. He played here once at Pine-Richland in a WPIAL championship.
"It was awesome," Wentz said. "I was telling the guys, 'I used to be a little kid right there,' so it was definitely full circle."
Clean it up
McCarthy was somewhat miffed by missed assignments and penalties lately in training camp, and the first preseason game showed that he has a good feel for his team — and where it can improve. He wasn't just pointing fingers, though. The thumb was included.
Six players were penalized in the first half alone, many of them veterans, so the Steelers will need to clean that up — particularly from those slated for regular roles when the games count in the standings. The not-so-grand total added up to 12, which was nearly double how many incompletions McCarthy's quarterbacks threw.
"We'll go through each and every one of them," McCarthy said. "It's important for us to be extremely accountable. This is an excellent game to grade as a coaching staff because there's a lot of good things that went on out there. … But we all — me included — have some things that we had to adjust to today because of things that happened last-minute, administratively."
The Steelers were beset by two penalties on offense, three on defense and a whopping seven on special teams. Six of those were personal fouls.
Undefeated and unscathed
Starting the preseason unbeaten doesn't matter much. But starting the preseason unharmed by the first four quarters of play is a major victory.
The Steelers held out Aaron Rodgers, Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle, DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., Max Iheanachor, Cameron Heyward, Sebastian Joseph-Day, T.J. Watt, Brandin Echols, Jaquan Brisker and DeShon Elliott. Some are dealing with bumps and bruises, while others stayed on the sideline as a coach's decision. Seeing Rodgers, in particular, wasn't on the agenda for McCarthy if the No. 1 quarterback wouldn't have his top two receivers.
"There are always different variables, but you're looking to play combinations of people," McCarthy said. "I think that was definitely a big part of the reason."
Even in-game, the injury bug didn't seem to bite. McCarthy didn't mention anyone getting nicked up. Backup cornerback D'Shawn Jamison was slow to his feet after making a tackle early in the second quarter but returned. The only thing better than a preseason win is a preseason win with a clean bill of health.
Good time to catch up
Pregame warmups were a family reunion of sorts — or literally, in one case.
McCarthy briefly met up with his parents, wife and kids on the field before coaching his first game in his hometown. You also had Rodgers visiting with some Packers staffers, of course,
But so did Robert Tonyan, who was in Green Bay from 2017-22. Steelers inside linebackers coach Scott McCurley was there from 2006-18, so he had plenty of familiar faces to see. Mark Lovat and Grant Thorne from the Steelers' strength and conditioning staff were two of the busier coaches on the grass at that point, but made a quick beeline to some old pals near midfield. Pittman is a new Steeler and linebacker Zaire Franklin is a new Packer, but those two were captains together for the Colts and spent some time chatting at the 50.
This season isn't about a farewell tour for Rodgers. It's about trying to hoist a Lombardi Trophy. But you can bet he'll be a popular Steeler for opposing coaches and players to seek out before games all year. It just won't get more nostalgic than it was tonight against the Packers.
