The Steelers only revealed just before the game that Mason Rudolph would start, not Aaron Rodgers, and even he found out a day earlier. Apparently, even the rest of the roster didn’t know who would start until right before the game. But they knew both were possibilities, and they worked with Rudolph all week. And they all have his back after yesterday’s loss.
“I thought Mason [Rudolph] was good. Unfortunately, you can’t win this game with one guy”, Jonnu Smith said, via the Steelers’ website. “He came in there and continued to put us in a position to win. We had a chance to go down and win a game at the end, and that’s all you can ask. That’s what he did”.
Mason Rudolph led the Steelers’ offense to three touchdowns in a losing effort, which a chance to tie late. He went 24-for-31 for 171 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. One other touchdown came on a pitch to DK Metcalf ruled to be a run. His interception came early in the game and featured a great play by the defender.
While he only took two sacks, one was a strip sack, and the Bears turned both of Rudolph’s turnovers into touchdowns. After the game, HC Mike Tomlin faulted the defense for not “smiling in the face of adversity”. While you want to avoid turnovers, you must limit the damage after they occur. The Steelers did not do that yesterday, and paid dearly for it.
But they were in it until the end, and Rudolph’s teammates credit him for it. “The process was smooth in the huddle”, said TE Pat Freiermuth, who has been with Rudolph the longest on offense. Speaking about his demeanor on the final potentially game-tying drive, he said, “It was great. It was what you wanted from a quarterback. We went in there expecting to win the game”.
In all, the Steelers did rush for 186 yards on the day, including a 55-yard run by Kenneth Gainwell on a trick play. Simulating a Tush Push, Connor Heyward handed it off instead to the back. He escaped to the outside and nearly scored himself.
Said Gainwell of working with a different quarterback, “We were ready from the beginning of the game. Mason [Rudolph] practiced all week. At the same time, we have to execute no matter who is in the game”.
Tomlin has already essentially said that Aaron Rodgers will start next week, so it’s back to the bench for Mason Rudolph. While he did not win this game, however, you certainly can’t pin it all on his shoulders. He has played better, but the Bears didn’t offer much through the air. And there was certainly room to criticize the play-calling in this one, but that’s a whole other subject.
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