Mason Rudolph finishes Steelers’ loss — will he start their next game?
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INDIANAPOLIS — Could the Pittsburgh Steelers be turning to a third starter at quarterback over a four-week span?
“I don’t have answers as I sit here right now,” coach Mike Tomlin said in response to an inquiry along those lines after Saturday’s frightful 30-13 loss at the Indianapolis Colts.
That Tomlin did not summarily reject the idea Mason Rudolph could be called on to start when the Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 23 is a telling departure from the typical company line that the depth chart at QB remains firm: Mitch Trubisky at No. 2 and Rudolph No. 3 behind injured starter Kenny Pickett.
“I know that we better do some things differently,” Tomlin said, continuing his thought on the QB-change question. “We better approach things differently. We’re not going to roll that ball out there like (they did against the Colts again) next week.”
Trubisky was pulled after throwing his second interception of Saturday’s game, one that by all appearances was an egregious overthrow of George Pickens with 6 minutes, 5 seconds left in regulation. Trubisky’s previous interception also was on a throw intended for Pickens, though that one was farther down the field and had the look of Indianapolis safety Nick Cross out-playing Pickens for the ball.
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Trubisky explained the first interception by saying, “George took a different angle than I was anticipating.”
The second one, Trubisky flatly said, “Sailed it.”
Asked directly why he pulled Trubisky, Tomlin answered, “We didn’t do enough of anything well today.”
Trubisky finished his second start this season and sixth start over two years with the Steelers with a stat line of 16 completions on 23 attempts for 169 yards, one touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson and the pair of picks.
The second of those compelled Tomlin to turn to Rudolph, who appeared in a regular-season game for the first time since mop-up duty late in a blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 26, 2021.
“It was a good feeling to get back in,” Rudolph said, “but we have to move the ball there at the end of the game a little bit better than we did. It was a tough one.”
The Steelers netted minus-8 yards on the possession after Rudolph entered with 2:09 left and the Colts leading by two touchdowns. Rudolph completed a pass that lost 3 yards to Jaylen Warren, hit Pat Freiermuth for 6 yards, tossed an incompletion on a miscommunication with Johnson on third-and-7 and was sacked for an 11-yard loss on fourth down.
“After (Trubisky’s second interception), that’s when I was told, ‘If we get the ball back, we’re gonna go your way,’ ” Rudolph said.
“We were going to stay in 2-minute mode and try to move the ball the best we could. … We didn’t do a great job of that, (so) back to the drawing board.”
Could the same be said about the Steelers’ plans at quarterback, with three games left in the season and their playoff hopes floundering after a third consecutive loss that dropped them to 7-7?
One of the longest-tenured players on the team, the six-year veteran Rudolph has started 10 games for the Steelers, including eight in 2019 after Ben Roethlisberger’s elbow surgery. Rudolph is 5-4-1 as a starter, including a tie with the Detroit Lions in his most recent start Nov. 14, 2021.
“I would love to play for this team,” Rudolph said when asked if he believed he deserved a shot to start.
Pickett has not been ruled out for the Bengals game, but he has missed the past two since suffering an ankle injury during the Dec. 3 loss to the Arizona Cardinals that necessitated surgery the next day. Pickett is not expected to be ready in time to face Cincinnati.
And if he can’t play, could the Steelers turn to Rudolph in lieu of Trubisky?
“We will see,” Rudolph said. “That’s a coaching decision. The game just ended. So, we will see what happens. That’s out of my hands.”
Rudolph’s career passer rating is 80.9, compared to 78.8 for Pickett. In 12 games for the Steelers, Trubisky has a 77.6 passer rating.
The Steelers’ No. 2 quarterback behind Roethlisberger for most of the 2019-21 seasons, in the wake of Roethlisberger’s retirement last year, Rudolph fell behind free-agent signee Trubisky and first-round pick Pickett on the depth chart. He has remained the QB3 behind those two but said Saturday he’s ready to step up if needed.
“I am confident in the way I’ve stayed sharp all season,” Rudolph said, “and this isn’t my rookie year. The staff always puts a good plan together, so if I get the nod I’ll be ready to roll.
“(Who starts at quarterback) is a coaching decision, but I absolutely would love to play for this team.”
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