After putting together an impressive showing in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Pittsburgh Steelers are sticking with veteran quarterback Mason Rudolph for another week.
At least for now.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, during his weekly press conference ahead of the Week 17 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, said that Rudolph “has got the ball” as the starting quarterback to start the week, but that the Steelers will see where Kenny Pickett is at in his recovery, very similar to how things were last week leading up to the matchup against the Bengals.
“He’s [Rudolph] got the ball to start the week and we’ll see where Kenny is from a mobility perspective,” Tomlin said regarding the quarterback situation, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page.
Rudolph, in his first start for the Steelers since the 2021 season, threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns Saturday against the Bengals, connecting with George Pickens for touchdowns of 86 and 66 yards. He also had a 44-yard completion to Pickens late in the first half that set up a Chris Boswell field goal to give the Steelers a 24-0 lead at halftime.
Though Pickett is seemingly healthy from the ankle injury suffered in Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals that led to tightrope surgery, Tomlin is sticking with the hot hand in Rudolph, at least early in the week, as the Steelers are staring down another must-win game, this time on the road against the Seahawks.
Last week leading up to the matchup against the Bengals, Rudolph prepared as the starter, taking all the first-team reps in practices. Pickett, who returned to practice in a limited capacity, worked throughout the week, taking part in individual drills. Ultimately, he was ruled out Thursday of last week, leading to Rudolph getting his first start since 2021.
It’ll be much of the same — for now — this week.
“And really, we’re in the same position with Kenny as we were last week. We’ll give him a few reps and kind of see where that leads us. But just as I said a week ago in this setting, Mason Rudolph was scheduled to be the quarterback for the week, and we’ll see where Kenny is. We have the same mentality as we start this week,” Tomlin added to reporters regarding the quarterback situation for the Steelers. “Obviously, we have a great deal more comfort because of what we’ve seen in-stadium from Mason Rudolph, and that helps us. But we still really are in the same posture. He’s got the ball to start the week and we’ll see where Kenny is from a mobility perspective and then kind of go from there and plan day by day based on the things that we see from that perspective.”
Asked if Pickett is cleared to return if he would be the quarterback at Seattle, Tomlin stated he wasn’t into hypotheticals and that he’d see where the week leads. But he was emphatic in one specific area.
“Mason Rudolph has the ball as we stand here today,” Tomlin said.
Status quo, for now, at quarterback for the Steelers.
