This should be the easiest call in Mike Tomlin’s 17 years as the Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mason Rudolph should be the starting quarterback next week when the team travels to Seattle in another ‘must-win’ game. Even if Kenny Pickett is cleared to play he shouldn’t. It really is that simple.
Look at what transpired today in the Steel City. The Steelers entered the game averaging about 16 points per game. They had 24 at halftime and every point was scored by the offense. They finished with 34 – a total they hadn’t reached since 2021 – while beating a Cincinnati Bengals’ team that was playing well.
Rudolph threw for multiple touchdowns and 290 yards. Let’s take a moment to examine this. Pickett hasn’t thrown for that many yards all season and he’s gone over 300 yards just once in his career. That was a loss to Buffalo where he threw 52 times. Pickett has thrown for more than one touchdown in a game just once in his entire career too. But these numbers only tell part of the story.
Did you notice the difference when Rudolph was in the pocket? Unlike Pickett who tends to leave the pocket within just a second or two, Rudolph went through his progressions in a much cleaner way. Yes, there were moments when Rudy left the pocket but go back and watch how much more patient he was in general. I think Rudy also demonstrated that he’s more willing to push the ball down the field and looked to be more accurate on deep throws than Pickett.
But the biggest reason Tomlin needs to go with Rudolph is simply because the entire unit looked better than it has in many weeks. There was a confidence that resonated around them the minute they took the field and short of a few second half drives that feeling never left. Going with Rudolph next week in the Pacific Northwest does not mean that Kenny Pickett isn’t your quarterback going forward. It’s about going with the hot hand and with the guy that gives you and your team the best opportunity to win.
For this week anyway that guy is Mason Rudolph.
