Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin expressed optimism Tuesday regarding the availability of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who missed Week 12 against the Chicago Bears with a fracture in his wrist.
But Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who was once a college teammate of Tomlin’s at William & Mary, isn’t taking the bait.
Speaking with reporters Wednesday ahead of the Week 13 matchup in Pittsburgh, McDermott stated that the Bills are preparing for not only Rodgers but backup Mason Rudolph, too.
“Yeah, no, we’re preparing for both,” McDermott said of the Steelers’ quarterback situation, according to video via the Bills’ X account. “We’ll see what or how it turns out, of course, but there’s no obviously definitive answer right now.”
There is no definitive answer, especially after Rodgers wasn’t cleared last week by doctors to play in Chicago. That put Rudolph into the lineup, a decision that even some teammates didn’t know about until a few hours before kickoff at Soldier Field.
Though Rudolph had some decent moments, he struggled against the Bears, throwing an interception on his first pass attempt of the game and later getting strip-sacked, setting up another Chicago score. The Steelers did run for a season-high 186 yards against the Bears, but their passing game was lacking, They failed to connect down the field on shot plays while also struggling to get the likes of DK Metcalf, Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth consistently involved in the passing game.
Rodgers pushed hard to play last week against a team he’s dominated in his career, but the Steelers ultimately held him out in an effort to avoid further injuring his wrist. However, after not playing against the Bears, a report from NFL on FOX Jay Glazer stated that Tomlin expected Rodgers to play in Week 13 against the Bills.
That was in line with the optimism Tomlin expressed Tuesday regarding his soon-to-be 42-year-old quarterback, though he did leave open the possibility that Rodgers could miss another week, depending on how his wrist is healing.
If Rodgers can’t go, Rudolph will make another start against the Bills. In his last start against Buffalo with the Steelers, Rudolph completed 22-of-39 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns. However, he did throw an interception in the end zone in the 31-17 loss in the 2023 AFC Wild Card Round, ending the Steelers’ season.
Should he get a shot at redemption Sunday, Rudolph will need to play much better than he did in Week 12 against the Bears. It starts with correcting some of the issues with the deep ball in his game. Hopefully we get more clarity as the week continues though.
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