In the final minutes of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to the Indianapolis Colts head coach Mike Tomlin made the decision to pull QB Mitch Trubisky in favor of Mason Rudolph. The game was already well out of hand, but Tomlin had seen enough after Trubisky’s second interception of the day. With QB Kenny Pickett still working his way back from a high ankle sprain, there could be a necessary decision ahead of the Week 16 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Former Steelers CB Bryant McFadden gave his opinion on who should start on the CBS Sports HQ after the game.
“Christmas is almost here, it’s only right that we see Rudolph,” McFadden said in a clip posted on CBS Sports’ YouTube channel. “Trubisky is Trubisky. We know what we’re going to get from Trubisky. You might as well get ready to say, ‘Oh no, what are you doing?’ every time he plays as the starting quarterback. He’s going to give you an ‘oh no’ moment, and unfortunately for the Pittsburgh Steelers, they’re not good enough to have those ‘oh no’ moments.”
The Steelers have a 6-3 record this season when they manage to not throw an interception. When they do? Their record is 1-4. The margin of error is razor thin and the interceptions are basically a death sentence for this team.
“One thing we know about Mason Rudolph this season in 2023, we don’t know. And sometimes the uncertainty, the unknown, is more appealing than the we know,” McFadden said. “And what we know from Trubisky is what? He’s going to give you, ‘oh no.’ I said it three or four times today watching the game.”
Since being selected in the third round of the 2018 draft, Rudolph has started 10 games while appearing in 18. His record as a starter is 5-4-1. He has completed 238-of-387 passes for 2,369 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. All five of his wins came in 2019 when Ben Roethlisberger was out for the season with an elbow injury. Rudolph’s play was so uninspiring that season that the Steelers started undrafted free agent Duck Hodges at times over him.
I don’t think anyone has the expectation of Rudolph lighting the world on fire with his play, but to McFadden’s point Trubisky’s interception issues and “oh no” moments are too much to overlook. Trubisky has thrown 10 interceptions in 12 appearances for the Steelers. Should the Steelers opt to start Rudolph over him next Saturday, it will likely mark the end of Trubisky’s opportunities in Pittsburgh.
