For the Pittsburgh Steelers, this season has been all about QB Aaron Rodgers. Can he be the missing piece that gets them over the hump in the playoffs? But on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, things changed. He suffered a fractured left wrist, and that meant QB Mason Rudolph had to step in.
But that’s nothing new for Rudolph. He’s stepped in before, whether it’s just to finish out a game or to play multiple games. And head coach Mike Tomlin couldn’t be more pleased about how Rudolph performed in that tough spot.
“Can’t say enough about Mason Rudolph,” Tomlin said Tuesday during his weekly press conference, per video from the team’s YouTube channel. “Although we’re used to it, it’s still appreciated. He’s proven over his time here that he’s capable of coming in and playing winning football for us. And that’s no small task. When you’re preparing during the course of a week as a backup, you have limited number of reps. Usually the guts of the plan are geared toward the specific talents of the starters.
“And so you may get some reps, but it might not be quote unquote plays that are perfectly in your wheelhouse. He’s always found a way to manage those challenges, to remain confident, for that confidence to ooze out of him, and be a catalyst for a collective performance.”
Mason Rudolph played the entire second half and completed 75 percent of his passes for 127 yards and a touchdown. By all accounts, he proved he was able to play winning football in a tough spot, like Tomlin said. It’s one thing to know ahead of time that you’ll step in and start a game as a backup. It’s quite different doing it mid-game.
Yes, Rudolph had the benefit of prepping at halftime with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. But that doesn’t make up for a week of reps with the first-team offense. As Tomlin alluded to, Rudolph didn’t come into the game with the offense catering toward his strengths and wishes. The offense was set up for Rodgers. And Rudolph didn’t get to prepare for this game as a starter.
Yet Rudolph came in and executed well enough for the Steelers to beat the Bengals. And the fact that Rudolph has done this before gives confidence to his head coach and his teammates. But with Rodgers’ status up in the air, what does this week look like for Rudolph and the Steelers? Tomlin is looking forward to seeing Rudolph prep with the first-team offense.
“We’ll have a great week’s work tomorrow centered around Mason Rudolph and what he does,” Tomlin said.
Will Mason Rudolph start against the Bears and we get to see how the offense looks when he’s got a week to prepare? Only time will tell. Rodgers doesn’t need surgery on his wrist, and Tomlin knows what he needs to see out of Rodgers for him to play. But in the mean time, while everyone waits on Rodgers’ progress, Rudolph will work hard with the first-team offense.
Because the Steelers might just need Mason Rudolph, once again. And if they do, Mike Tomlin is confident that Rudolph will be ready.
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