Steelers QB Mason Rudolph ‘scheduled to start’ over Kenny Pickett vs. Seahawks

Shawne Pickett of the Seahawks is expected to start behind Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph.

Mason Rudolph was chosen by Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Mike Tomlin to start the game against the Cincinnati Bengals in order to provide “a spark” for the offense.

The quarterback gave tribute to his coach’s belief in him on Saturday, leading the team to a 34-11 victory over the Bengals with 290 passing yards, a pair of touchdowns, and no turnovers.
For the Steelers, who are attempting to snap a three-game losing streak and salvage their postseason aspirations, Christmas arrived two days early.

Furthermore, Rudolph connected on two deep touchdown passes and found receiver George Pickens for three plays totaling 40 yards or more, which helped Pickens get back on track.

Pittsburgh scored the most points in a game under Rudolph’s guidance since a 41-37 setback to the Los Angeles Chargers of November 21, 2021.

In order to show appreciation for Rudolph, Tomlin said on Tuesday that the quarterback “scheduled to start” for Pittsburgh’s Sunday game against the Seattle Seahawks.

According to ESPN, Tomlin stated, “With Kenny, we’re at the same position as we were last week.”

“We’ll give him a few repetitions and monitor his progress. We are obviously much more comfortable now that we’ve seen Mason Rudolph in-stadium, which is helpful, but our posture is essentially the same.

Start the week with him having possession of the ball, and we’ll assess Kenny Pickett’s mobility before deciding how to proceed and play each day based on what we observe.”

Regarding Pickett, Tomlin remarked, “We’ll see what the performance looks like tomorrow.” Rudolph will hold the ball and the Steelers’ hopes of making the playoffs for the time being.

“Mason Rudolph holds the ball when we stand here today.” Rudolph managed the first-team reps last week while Pickett, who underwent “Tight Rope” surgery for his ankle on December 4, engaged in individual drills.

Tomlin responded to a reporter’s question about what would happen if Pickett performed well in practice by saying he wouldn’t get into hypothetical discussions.

With a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, quarterback Mason Rudolph had kept the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Christmas season alive. Now, he’ll probably get a chance to give his club a bright start to the New Year.

Coach Mike Tomlin stated that Rudolph will start the week with the ball as Kenny Pickett continues to recover from his TightRope ankle surgery on December 4.

Pickett, a however, did not name Rudolph the starter against the Seattle Seahawks on New Year’s Eve.

Rudolph used every first-team rep throughout practice leading up to the Bengals, while Pickett engaged in individual drills all week long until being declared out of the game after the last session.

Rudolph made his debut on Saturday and guided the Steelers’ offense on six scoring drives, scoring 34 points, which is a team high that hasn’t been reached since 2021.

Rudolph gained 290 yards and two passing touchdowns on 17 of his 27 attempts. This season, no other quarterback for the Steelers has thrown for more than 278 yards.

Tomlin described his guys as having “stepped up big in a big moment.” “They played well on several fronts, kept a positive attitude in the face of difficulty, and did what it took to win.

Mason Rudolph’s play, I believe, was a clear example of that. We discussed how much confidence he had in himself and how aggressive his play and approach were, and the game supported those claims.

“I thought he did an outstanding job of being comfortable just himself, communicating with others regardless of which moments I thought showed the confidence he has in himself, and I additionally believed that he remained aggressive throughout.”

In the third quarter, Tomlin also used Rudolph’s 66-yard touchdown pass to Pickens on third-and-one to illustrate how the quarterback’s boldness was a “asset.”

Once again, Tomlin played down inquiries about what Pickett’s possible availability may mean on the quarterback depth chart, saying he’s “not into the hypotheticals.”