In the NFL Week 16 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, Mason Rudolph will start at quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach Mike Tomlin announced on Monday.
Rudolph will start ahead of Mitch Trubisky, according to Tomlin, who also mentioned that there’s a chance injured starter Kenny Pickett will be cleared to play. In November, Pittsburgh defeated Cincinnati 16–10, with Pickett completing 24 of 33 passes for 278 yards.
In the 30-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts last week, Rudolph saw his first game action of the season, going 2-of-3 for 3 yards. He did not play any games during the 2022 season.
Rudolph, who the Steelers selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, has started ten games for the team, two of which have been against the Bengals. In a 27-3 victory over Cincinnati in September 2019, he completed 24-of-28 attempts for 229 yards with two touchdowns. In November, he defeated the Bengals once more in Cincinnati, this time by completing 8-of-16 attempts for 85 yards with an interception in a 16-10 victory.
At a press conference on Monday, Tomlin stated, “Our goal as we sit here today is to get Mason Rudolph an opportunity to start.” “This guy is seasoned. He’s experienced, but he’s also a backup. He has spent a lot of time in our program. These are the reasons he is here. He gave us a great deal of comfort.
“For what reason are we changing? The consistency of what we’re seeing doesn’t sit well with us. I’m trying to say that we’re not scoring enough points, especially as December football approaches. At this time of year, you have more than 12, 14, or 16 points in a game. It’s advisable to presume that other people are acting similarly.
