Week 2 of the NFL preseason brought a quieter stretch for Penn State’s former standouts, but there were still a few notable moments scattered across the league.
Drew Allar got the biggest workload of the group for the Pittsburgh Steelers, though the results were mixed. After a strong opener, he settled into a tougher night against the New York Jets.
Allar ran the offense for the entire second half, but Pittsburgh couldn’t get into the end zone and was shut out after scoring 28 points the week before. He finished with 110 passing yards on 11-for-23 throwing and added four yards on the ground.
His best snap came early in the third quarter, when he connected with tight end Lake McRee on a 38-yard completion. Allar had pressure in his face, drifted off his back foot, and still dropped the ball over McRee’s shoulder down the left sideline for his longest gain of the day.
Even so, the Steelers didn’t give him much room to work. The line allowed three sacks, and the receivers combined for six drops.
Trebor Peña, meanwhile, kept rolling for the Jacksonville Jaguars. For the second straight week, he led the team in receiving, finishing with four catches for 72 yards and a touchdown while hauling in every target he saw against the Carolina Panthers.
His touchdown came with less than four minutes left in regulation. Quarterback Joey Aguilar hit Peña on a nine-yard pass, and Peña did the rest, powering through several defenders and turning it into a 20-yard scoring run.
There was also some off-field movement involving Joey Porter Jr. ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported that the Steelers haven’t gotten any trade interest in Porter Jr., who is currently on the Physically Unable to Perform List as he hopes to earn a new contract. Pryor also reported that a source said Pittsburgh will not enter contract negotiations during the season, leaving Porter and the team’s front office about two weeks to work toward a deal.
Sean Clifford had one of the more productive preseason outings of his NFL run with the Cincinnati Bengals. The quarterback played the entire second half against Chicago and finished 15-for-23 for 126 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Early in the third quarter, he lofted a 20-yard pass to the end zone for Noah Thomas. Later, he tried to push the ball downfield again, but Skyler Thomas picked it off in the fourth quarter.
Kalen King also made his mark for the Arizona Cardinals. In a 34-13 loss to the Cowboys, he delivered a tackle for loss on Tyler Johnson, fighting through a block from Nathan Thomas to make the stop. King ended the night with four tackles and that tackle for loss.
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