A quarterback controversy in Pittsburgh? In this economy? OK let’s slow down a bit on the word “controversy.” With two, must-win games remaining, the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t quite in the throes of a full-blown competition with their number one QB spot but there’s little denying that after Mason Rudolph’s performance last Saturday, he is clearly the best option whether Kenny Pickett is healthy or not.
Steelers’ Head Coach Mike Tomlin made it official today when he announced that Rudolph would be the starter as the team heads to Seattle with its playoff hopes in the balance. There is debate as to whether or not Pickett is ready to go following surgery to repair a high-ankle sprain but if you ask enough people who “know” they’ll tell you Pickett is capable of starting this week. Since Tomlin is choosing Rudolph, you can have the “QB controversy” debate all you want to but the reason he’s going with Rudolph isn’t hard to understand.
On Saturday, Rudy threw for 290 yards. Only one time in his career has Pickett done that. He threw for 327 yards on 52 attempts in a loss to Buffalo last year. Rudolph also threw two touchdown passes Saturday. Another thing that Pickett has only done once in his career. Regardless of how poor the Bengals’ defense is, Mason Rudolph looked the part. Most importantly is that he got George Pickens involved and that turned out pretty well. Heading into a difficult environment up the Pacific Northwest, this was a no-brainer decision for Tomlin.
Realize however that we’ve seen this movie before. We’ve seen glimpses of Mason Rudolph play well only to be followed by performances that were less than worthy of an NFL starting quarterback. There’s a reason that Rudolph didn’t attract any attention this past offseason and returned to Pittsburgh. So yeah, the possibility exists for him to revert back to that and if he does then things will undoubtedly go poorly in Seattle.
Then again, wouldn’t it just be like this franchise to go from certain playoff position, to little chance, to into the postseason on the back of Mason Rudolph? A better and more unlikely story could not be written. And as far as the “controversy” goes? Let’s see what happens on Sunday before we get too far ahead of ourselves.
