Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard threw two brutal interceptions in the first half of Friday’s exhibition game, a performance that instantly flips the script for two teams at opposite ends of the interception spectrum. This wasn’t just a bad night for Howard; it was a major moment for a player fighting for his career spot.
The Jets’ Defense Finally Gets Its Hands On The Ball
Can you even fathom a defense going an entire NFL season without a single interception? Zero picks. Zilch. The New York Jets, in their 2025 campaign, did exactly that, becoming the first NFL team since 1933, when they officially started tracking these kinds of stats, to finish a season without a single interception. That’s almost unbelievable, right? It was Aaron Glenn’s first year as head coach, and ironically, Glenn himself was a former Jets cornerback who piled up 41 interceptions in his professional playing career. So, for his squad to finally come out on Friday and bag a pair of passes, even in preseason, that’s gotta be a massive relief. It feels like a real good omen for the New York defense, showing they might just be able to make plays this season.
Howard’s Rough Night Puts His Backup Spot In Jeopardy
But those two picks? They hit second-year quarterback Will Howard hard. He’s locked in a critical battle with rookie Drew Allar for the backup job behind the 42-year-old legend, Aaron Rodgers. This was Howard’s chance to shine, getting the starting nod with both Rodgers and Mason Rudolph sitting out the team’s second exhibition of the summer. He completed 10 of 15 passes for 74 yards. On paper, that’s not terrible completion percentage, but here’s the kicker: he didn’t lead a single scoring drive. And then there are those two brutal interceptions. That’s the real gut punch for a guy trying to solidify his position on the roster.
The fight for that backup job is seriously heating up in Pittsburgh. Howard needed a clean, efficient performance to separate himself from Allar, and those two turnovers are a huge step backward in that competition. With the exhibition season rolling on, he’s gonna have to rebound fast and prove he can protect the ball. Every single snap counts now for Howard to secure that backup spot. What’s next for him? He absolutely has to show up big in the next outing, because right now, that job is looking wide open.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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