For Mike Tomlin, the Pittsburgh Steelers season isn’t over. There are four more games to be played. And to take a brief optimistic detour away from the misery of the last two games, Pittsburgh still has a clear path to the playoffs if it actually can pull off victories.
If Pittsburgh wants the best chance to win until QB Kenny Pickett returns, Mason Rudolph should be the guy.
This is hardly even much of a hot take and more of me stating the obvious. Rudolph has come full circle, from once hated in Pittsburgh to now fans chanting for him to play, but all of that is irrelevant to Tomlin’s decision. For me, it comes to one basic principle.
Mason Rudolph can be better trusted to run the offense and take care of the ball. Trubisky said it early in the week. He likes being aggressive. He’s going to be aggressive. He’s going to take his chances. For some quarterbacks, they can live that way. The good outweighs the bad, they make far more positive plays than negative ones, and you live with the consequences. That was Ben Roethlisberger in his “Backyard Ben” days. He’d run around, hold onto the ball, try to shrug off defensive linemen. Most of the time, he’d make the play, but sometimes he’d take the sack. But the juice was worth the squeeze, and Ben was allowed to be Ben.
Mitch can’t be Mitch. That’s who he is, and he’s not changing his stripes at this point in his career. No doubt Trubisky understands the value of protecting the football, but when push comes to shove, he wants to make a play. That was again clear in Thursday’s loss to the New England Patriots. On the final failed 4th and 2, the Steelers -to their credit – ran a man-beater over the middle, with the intent of getting WR Allen Robinson II open. He doesn’t catch many passes, but in big moments between the numbers, he’s been their guy. And there was a chance to connect with him, pick up five yards, and move the sticks. From there, the Steelers would’ve needed about 15 yards to get into Chris Boswell’s range.
Mike Tomlin can say that was the design, but it probably wasn’t. Quarterbacks have a read, they have progressions, and that’s one of the options. With 1v1 coverage, the quarterback has the freedom to make the play if he likes the look, and Trubisky obviously did, but it highlights his no-risk-it, no-biscuit nature that gets him into trouble. He looked for the home run when all the Steelers needed was a single that was there for the taking.
That one play sums up Trubisky’s problem. Play hero ball when that’s not how the Steelers win. It’s not their model. The same happened on his interception. Slightly more forgivable, TE Pat Freiermuth slowed up his route, but it’s a third-down play with Trubisky trying to drive the ball into a tight window. Picked, returned, short field for the Patriots, touchdown. This is how the Steelers lose.
And it’s why Rudolph has to be the guy. Not because he’s so much more talented than Trubisky. Not because he is teeming with upside. But because he’s going to run your offense exactly how it’s supposed to be run. In January 2022, Rudolph said he would run Matt Canada’s offense exactly how the team wanted it.
“I’m fully going to surrender to what Matt [Canada] wants to do and do the best job possible.”
When the primary read is to hit Robinson short, Rudolph is going to do it. He has a lower risk tolerance than Trubisky, and if you tell him ball security is paramount, he’ll oblige. It doesn’t mean he’ll go into a shell. Rudolph has a live and accurate arm, but he’ll pick his spots far better than Trubisky is wired to do.
Rudolph’s not the savior of the season. Pound for pound, he might not even be the more talented quarterback. But he’s a fit for what Pittsburgh’s offense requires in its current form. More structure, more security, following the Steelers’ system built around the ground game and making enough plays through the air to win.
When Pickett is healthy, he should return to the starting lineup. The more chances to learn about him entering a make-or-break 2024, the better. But until then, which may not be until the regular-season finale, Rudolph gives the Steelers the best chance to win. There’s nothing more to consider than that.
