Making his first start since the 2021 season, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph had one goal in mind entering the Week 16 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium: come out of the game with no regrets.
Safe to say, Rudolph accomplished that goal.
In the 34-11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Rudolph was outstanding, completing 17-of-27 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns. He hooked up with second-year wide receiver George Pickens for touchdowns of 86 and 66 yards, giving the Steelers’ offense a serious spark.
After the win — the sixth of his career as a starter for the Steelers — Rudolph was very grateful for the opportunity and pleased overall with his performance.
“You just feel confident when you have a good week of practice and you have no regrets about, ‘Did I watch enough film?’ And I wanted to have no regrets in that department. So, that gives you the confidence,” Rudolph said regarding his week of preparation and then his performance against the Bengals, according to video via Steelers.com.
With second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett close to returning from an ankle injury that ultimately led to tightrope surgery to speed up the recovery process, Rudolph entered the week unsure if he was truly going to get a chance to play as Pickett practiced in limited fashion. Though Rudolph was getting all of the first-team reps, it wasn’t clear until Thursday that Rudolph would be the starter.
Then, once the was announced that he was going to get another opportunity, things lined up well for the veteran against a familiar foe.
Prior to Saturday’s performance against the Bengals, Rudolph’s best game of his career came in his first career start in 2019, a 27-3 win over the Bengals. Rudolph passed for 229 yards and two touchdowns after taking over for the injured Ben Roethlisberger, who had been lost for the season the week prior.
But on Saturday night on the North Shore, just two days before Christmas, Rudolph was that stabilizing, leading force for the Steelers on offense. The rest of the team rallied, too, leading to a game ball from Steelers captain Cameron Heyward.
Who knows what the quarterback situation looks like in Week 17 on the road against the Seattle Seahawks. Rudolph played more than well enough to earn another start, but with Pickett closer to health, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if Tomlin and the Steelers go back to their starter.
For now though, Rudolph can rest easy knowing he left it all on the field, played very well in his first opportunity in two years, and at least showed 31 other teams he can be a serviceable quarterback in this league. There should be no regrets.
