Five things we learned: thanks to Mason Rudolph or George Pickens for playing great football for the Steelers
There had not been a game like the one the Pittsburgh Steelers had against the Bengals in more than four years, when the stadium was packed with people.
When Mason Rudolph threw for 124.0 yards on Saturday, it was the best rating by a Steelers quarterback in the presence of more than a few fans since… In his second start of the season on September 30, 2019, Mason Rudolph posted a 124.6 rating, also against the Bengals.
With 4,708 people in attendance, Ben Roethlisberger had a passer rating of 125.4 in the only encounter a Steelers quarterback started and ended.
It was a 38–29 win over the Philadelphia Eagles during what was then called Heinz Field. The day in question, Ben Roethlisberger was a grade of 125.4.
In the last five years, Roethlisberger had 14 games with a passer score of 100 or more. He stopped after the 2021 season and only played two full games in 2019. Rudolph has two, while Braden Smith, Devlin Hodges, along with Mitch Trubisky each have one.
The Steelers beat the Bengals 34–11 on Saturday to end a three-game losing streak. The link between George Pickens along with Mason Rudolph was a big part of Pittsburgh’s ability to stay in the playoff race.
Pickens set the tone right away with an 86-yard score on the second play on the Steelers’ first drive in a game that they had to win.
Rudolph hit Pickens with a short, accurate pass on a post route. Pickens then took off, leaving Bengals players behind for over half of the field.
After the game, Pickens said, “I just hoped he’d give me a chance.” “I didn’t have a full picture because you never know in which he’ll throw the ball.” I will try to make the best play every time he throws the ball, though.
Rudolph knew how important it was to get into a rhythm early because it was his first start of the season. He also knew how playmakers can make that happen.
“A quick start. “It makes a difference whether you’re to high school, college, or the pros,” Rudolph said. “It gets the crowd into it, especially when we’re at this home venue.”
To get George going early. He is the best at getting yards shortly after catching the ball, so it was thrilling to see him run past me as I tried to catch up.
The two did more, though. When the Bengals scored their only touchdown of the game, they had a 16-point lead. In the third quarter, Rudolph found Pickens once again on a long pass that went 66 yards for a touchdown.
If you asked Pickens how they accomplished big plays, he said, “Mason has always done that.” It’s kind of like what I said about Mitch Trubisky and KP when he was playing behind Mitch.
Those guys always do their job and Mason has been one of them the whole time. Rudolph hasn’t played in any games this season except for three. He made most of his first start because Week 10 of the 2021-2022 campaign right away.
This was Pickens’ best game of the year. He caught four passes for 195 yards, which was a career high, and scored two touchdowns that changed the outcome of the game.
After losing two straight games, head coach Tomlin switched to Rudolph at quarterback. Trubisky had been in charge the last two games.
NFL Research says that the second-year WR and Tyreek Hill are the only players in 2023 to score two receiving td of 60 yards or more in the same game.
From 1970 to now, his 48.8 yards per catch are the third most of any player via at least four catches in a game.
They scored a lot of points, which was nice for the Steelers because they have had trouble scoring all season. Because Pickett hurt his hip, it has been harder to score over the past few weeks.
Rudolph showed himself and the more than 66,000 people in the stadium that he can play winning football in the NFL by throwing for 290 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in the Steelers’ 34–11 win over the Bengals. It was Pittsburgh’s first win by more than one score all season.
On the Steelers’ second play of the game, Rudolph threw a short pass to George Pickens, who ran it 86 yards for a touchdown.
It was the Steelers’ biggest touchdown since Week 12 of the 2018 season, when Ben Roethlisberger struck JuJu Smith-Schuster for a 97-yard score.