Pittsburgh Steelers Open 2026 Preseason vs Packers as Robert Tonyan Faces Former Team

On Thursday, August 13, 2026, the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium in the 2026 NFL preseason Week 1 opener — the first exhibition meeting between the clubs since 2018. Aaron Rodgers, who spent most of his Hall of Fame career with Green Bay before joining Pittsburgh, watched from the sideline as Mason Rudolph took the first snaps against Rodgers’ former team with Drew Allar in McCarthy’s quarterback rotation; Robert Tonyan, another former Packer on Pittsburgh’s roster, also faced Green Bay, while Tyrod Taylor and Kyle McCord rotated in behind Jordan Love for the visitors.

The nationally televised kickoff at 7:00 p.m. ET on NFL Network opened a six-game Thursday slate across the league. Early action favored the Packers, who took a 3-0 lead on Trey Smack’s 37-yard field goal in the first quarter while Pittsburgh moved the ball but stalled inside the red zone.

Editor’s note: This article draws on reporting from NFL.com, AP News, packers.com, ESPN, and FOX Sports, August 10–13, 2026.

Rodgers stays on the sideline

The reunion storyline dominated the week, but Aaron Rodgers made clear he saw little value in preseason snaps — even against the franchise where he won a Super Bowl and four MVP awards.

“It’s preseason,” Rodgers told reporters, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and NFL.com. “It’s not real football. So if I do, great. If not, great.”

Asked whether playing Thursday offered any advantage, the 42-year-old quarterback answered: “I don’t think so.” Rodgers has said 2026 will be his final NFL season, and Steelers coach Mike McCarthy has prioritized keeping the veteran healthy for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

ESPN reported before kickoff that Rodgers walked into Acrisure Stadium without equipment and that all signs pointed to him remaining on the bench. McCarthy had outlined a three-group quarterback rotation — the starter taking one or two series, the second quarterback finishing the first half, and the third playing the entire second half — but Rodgers’ seat on the headset appeared set once the game began.

Rodgers said he prefers helping younger quarterbacks through the chaos of a first preseason game: “I like to be on the headset and calm everybody down.”

How the opener unfolded

Detail	Information
Date	Thursday, August 13, 2026
Venue	Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
Week	NFL Preseason Week 1
Kickoff	7:00 p.m. ET
National TV	NFL Network
Score through early 2nd quarter	Packers 3, Steelers 0

Green Bay’s opening drive set the tone. Jordan Love worked the first series before backups rotated in, and the Packers marched into Pittsburgh territory. MarShawn Lloyd picked up chunk yardage on the ground, and after a deep shot to Jayden Reed fell incomplete, Smack connected from 37 yards to put Green Bay ahead.

Pittsburgh answered with efficient passing from Rudolph. The Steelers reached the Green Bay 6 in the first quarter, but an offensive holding penalty on Broderick Fautanu nullified a Lew Nichols touchdown run. A 58-yard field-goal attempt was also wiped out by a Derrick Harmon unnecessary-roughness flag, leaving the Steelers scoreless despite crossing midfield repeatedly.

In the second quarter, Rudolph drove Pittsburgh to the Packers 3. Pat Freiermuth caught a pass to the 1-yard line, and Germie Bernard was targeted on third down at the goal line, but the Steelers could not punch it in before the drive stalled.

Who played at quarterback

With Rodgers out, Pittsburgh’s rotation centered on depth and development:

Team	Quarterbacks (early action)	Notable lines
Steelers	Mason Rudolph (starter), Will Howard	Rudolph 10-of-11 for 93 yards; Howard entered later in the first half
Packers	Jordan Love, Tyrod Taylor, Kyle McCord	Love 3-of-5 for 18 yards; Taylor 4-of-8 for 21 yards

McCarthy’s plan gave Will Howard and Drew Allar extensive reps in camp, and the opener was the first chance to evaluate them under lights. AP News noted earlier in the week that keeping four quarterbacks remained a realistic possibility given praise for Rudolph’s camp performance.

Green Bay listed 16 players as not suiting up, including several starters, according to packers.com. Love still took the opening series — a sign that Matt LaFleur’s defense-heavy practice camp has challenged the offense and that the Packers wanted early reps for their starter against a familiar NFC opponent.

Defense, penalties, and special teams

The Packers defense made the night’s biggest splash plays against Rudolph:

• Brenton Cox Jr. dropped Rudolph for a nine-yard sack.
• Zaire Franklin added another sack in the first half.

Bernard emerged as Pittsburgh’s top target with four catches for 51 yards, including a 25-yard gain. On the ground, Nichols led the Steelers with 28 yards on five carries through the early second quarter.

Penalties tilted heavily toward Pittsburgh — seven flags for 84–85 yards against one for five yards for Green Bay, per game statistics from ESPN and packers.com. That margin helped the Packers survive red-zone stops and keep the scoreboard narrow despite Pittsburgh’s 120 total yards to Green Bay’s 81 through comparable early action.

Smack’s field goal was the only scoring play confirmed through the first half’s early stages. Both teams finished drives without turnovers in the opening frames.

Why this matchup mattered beyond the scoreboard

For Pittsburgh Steelers fans, the opener was less about exhibition points and more about context:

• Rodgers’ first Pittsburgh preseason as the face of a revamped offense under McCarthy.
• A rare reunion with Green Bay — Rodgers left Wisconsin after 2018 and had not faced the Packers in a preseason game since.
• A chance to see whether Rudolph, Howard, and Allar can stabilize the depth chart behind a 42-year-old starter.

For Green Bay, the trip to Pittsburgh offered Jordan Love a road test against a Steelers defense that has upgraded on the edges, plus an opportunity for backups and special teams to earn roster spots. The Packers entered camp emphasizing daily competition between offense and defense; Thursday was the first public scoreboard check.

Neither club treats preseason results as predictive, but the Steelers’ red-zone failures and penalty volume will draw internal review. The Packers, meanwhile, showed they could protect a lead with defense and special teams even when the offense did not find the end zone.

What comes next

Both teams continue Week 1 exhibition play across the league through Saturday, August 15. Pittsburgh and Green Bay will trim rosters and refine rotations before Week 2 of the preseason and, ultimately, the regular-season opener in September.

Rodgers’ availability for future exhibition games remains a week-to-week conversation between him and McCarthy. Thursday established that the Steelers are willing to keep their starting quarterback off the field even when the opponent and storyline invite spectacle.

---

Discussion

Thursday was about roster evaluation under the lights — not a Rodgers revenge game.

1. Aaron Rodgers stayed on the sideline against his former team. For a 42-year-old quarterback in his stated final season, is skipping preseason entirely the right call — or should McCarthy insist on a token series to test the new offense?

2. Mason Rudolph moved the Steelers efficiently but could not finish drives, and penalties erased a touchdown and a long field goal. Does his camp momentum translate to a reliable backup role, or did the red-zone stalls raise doubts?

Share whether you think Rodgers should play in the next preseason game — and if Rudolph looked like Pittsburgh’s answer behind him.

---