It’s a good Christmas for Mason Rudolph. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ third-string quarterback the last two years with zero starts since 2021, Rudolph helped keep the team’s playoff hopes alive with his excellent performance Saturday evening against the Cincinnati Bengals, leading Pittsburgh to its best output of the season in virtually every passing and scoring category.
Taking to social media after the game was a former teammate of Rudolph’s, center Maurkice Pouncey. Posting a photo of them together, Pouncey congratulated Rudolph with the caption “Winners WIN.”
If you click on the photo, you’ll see Rudolph’s response: “Brother for life!! Leader of men.”
The two were teammates from 2018, the year Rudolph was drafted, through the 2020 season, when Pouncey hung up his cleats. As we noted yesterday, Rudolph has received support from other former teammates and he’s become the feel-good story of the year, coming off the bench and dealing against the Bengals. He finished with 290 passing yards and two touchdowns, a stat line no Steelers quarterback has come close to this season. Just as importantly, he took care of the football, not turning it over, and not attempting plays that even risked turnovers. He balanced that with being aggressive and taking shots downfield, repeatedly peppering WR George Pickens with downfield targets. Pickens finished with a career-high 195 yards on just four receptions, averaging nearly 50 yards per grab.
While the current group of Steelers flatly played better than they have before, the team also rallied around Rudolph. Entering the week, T.J. Watt and others recognized the opportunity Rudolph was finally given in what could’ve been his final NFL start, especially if he didn’t play well. Rudolph had nothing to lose and played like it while still playing smart and keeping control over the game.
Mike Tomlin will hold his press conference tomorrow at noon and should shed light on the team’s quarterback situation heading into Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks. Whether it will be Rudolph or QB Kenny Pickett, expected to be healthy after injuring his ankle to start the month.
