Pittsburgh Steelers QB Skylar Thompson shined in Pittsburgh’s preseason debut on Saturday night, a 31-25 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. With Aaron Rodgers not playing and the team losing Will Howard to a broken finger earlier this week, Thompson played most of the reps for the Steelers, replacing QB Mason Rudolph in the second quarter and going 20-28 for 233 yards and three touchdowns. Speaking to Missi Matthews [after the game on the KDKA broadcast](https://www.steelers.com/video/watch-postgame-interview-with-thompson), Thompson praised the entire offense for getting into an early rhythm.
“We were able to get into a rhythm, and it started with Arthur \[Smith\] just putting us in some great play calls. And guys made plays for me. Everybody was in sync, and we just made a lot of plays and got in the end zone. It was a great first drive for me, second drive just to get into the rhythm of the game. So it was a really good job by all of us out there.”
Thompson led a two-minute drive at the end of the first half which he capped off with a touchdown pass to WR Max Hurleman to give the Steelers a 14-6 lead, and on his second drive in the second half, he led the team down the field and finished it off with a successful slip screen to RB Trey Sermon. His best throw of the day came on his final touchdown pass, finding WR Ke’Shawn Williams in 1-on-1 coverage downfield and hitting him for a 26-yard score.
With Rodgers, Rudolph and Howard, Thompson, despite being the longest-tenured quarterback on the roster, has been a bit of a forgotten man throughout this offseason. He was quickly passed by Howard in the depth chart during training camp, but he showed tonight he’s going to fight for a job with the Steelers, or at least showcase himself for another team. It was an impressive performance, and Thompson has some solid experience to his name, including starting a playoff game for the Miami Dolphins in 2022.
While his regular season numbers don’t stand out, his showing tonight, albeit in the preseason, was intriguing, and he could wind up being a backup in Pittsburgh or elsewhere this season. Thompson sounded like a leader after the game too, praising the rest of the offense and specifically shouting out the rookies.
“I’m just proud of all the rookies. I’ve been in their position before, coming into their first NFL game, the nerves, the performance, trying to perform well, all that kind of stuff. And I thought the rookies did a great job today.”
Thompson is the type of player that would be great to have in any locker room, and with his performance tonight, he’s showing he’s can hang on the field, too.