Will Howard will get his first start Friday against the Jets after Mike McCarthy announced the quarterback change Wednesday, a move that puts the third-round pick at the front of the preseason quarterback rotation and leaves Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph out of the game.
The timing is what makes it worth watching now. Friday is the next chance for Howard and Drew Allar to show where they stand in live action, and Howard called the moment “blessed and honored” after practice Wednesday, adding that it is his “first opportunity here in the big leagues.”
Howard is getting the assignment even though he has yet to throw a touchdown pass. On Thursday night, in his NFL debut, he connected on a 22-yard completion to Robert Tonyan that was initially ruled a touchdown before being marked down just short of the goal line. Howard said he was not chasing the throw, only trying to stay within himself: “You can't go chasing them. The minute you go chasing them is when you get in trouble,” he said, adding that he has to be “brilliant in the basics” and wait for the right play to come.
That is the edge in this matchup. Howard is being asked to lead the game before his first touchdown has arrived, while Allar comes in with a stronger first impression after throwing for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns in the second half of the preseason game. Allar said the fan support was noticeable when the quarterbacks were on the field, and he said he is eager to see how many turn out for Friday night.
There is still one detail the game plan does not settle: how long Howard will stay in before Allar gets his turn. The starter order is clear, but the split behind it is not, which makes Friday less about a full performance from either quarterback than about who handles the first stretch with control. For Howard, the task is simple enough to say and hard enough to do — keep it basic, avoid forcing throws and see whether the first touchdown finally follows.
