Mason Rudolph will get the nod as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback in Sunday’s Week 12 game against the Chicago Bears. Rudolph will make his first start of the season for an injured Aaron Rodgers after he suffered a fracture in his left wrist during last week’s game.
Pittsburgh took until the last moment to make a decision after testing Rodgers in pre-game warmups. In the end, the the team is turning to Rudolph, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Rapoport notes Rodgers is expected to return in Week 13 against the Buffalo Bills. Will Howard will be the No. 2 quarterback, per Mike Tomlin to CBS sideline reporter Evan Washburn.
Rodgers suffered the injury late in the first half of last Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, pressured and falling to the ground. He immediately clutched his left wrist and the team called timeout. Rodgers remained in the game for one final play before heading to the locker room just ahead of halftime.
Rudolph finished out the game, effectively leading the offense in the two series he received. He finished the game going 12-of-16 for 127 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. Both of his possessions ended in points, a field goal and short touchdown pass to RB Kenneth Gainwell. Rudolph and the offense had limited chances thanks to a pair of defensive scores that immediately gave the ball back to Cincinnati.
During his Tuesday press conference, Mike Tomlin confirmed Rodgers would not need surgery. Tomlin and Rodgers outlined this week Rodgers’ ability to play would come down to functionality and safety. Sitting out Wednesday’s practice, he returned to Thursday’s session to test out those elements while wearing a black brace over the injury.
Presumably, Rodgers didn’t meet the goals needed to be cleared and start. Will Howard will serve as the team’s No. 2 quarterback. He’s yet to appear inside a stadium after missing the entire preseason after breaking a bone on his throwing hand. He’s spent most of the year on injured reserve and was only activated to the 53-man roster last week, dressing and serving as the emergency No. 3 quarterback.
Sunday will mark Rudolph’s 19th career start and 14th for the Steelers. In 2019, he struggled replacing Ben Roethlisberger and rotated with Devlin “Duck” Hodges throughout the season. In 2023, Rudolph went from third-string quarterback to the starting lineup, playing well and leading Pittsburgh into the playoffs with three-straight wins. He spent the 2024 season with the Tennessee Titans, starting nine games, before returning to Pittsburgh on a two-year contract in March.
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