Steelers should start Mason Rudolph in Week 12 regardless of Aaron Rodgers’ status

With Aaron Rodgers injured, Mason Rudolph did what he often did during his time with the Steelers when given the opportunity to play.

Rudolph and the Steelers offense only had the ball twice in the second half of Sunday’s win over the Bengals. Pittsburgh — which scored on two of its five second-half possessions with Rodgers under center — scored on both drives as the Steelers turned a modest 10-6 halftime lead into a decisive 34-12 victory.

Rudolph, who had only attempted two passes this season before Sunday, led the offense on 15 plays and 61 yards to open the second half. The drive, which ended with a 30-yard field goal by Chris Boswell, included three third downs by Rudolph.

Pittsburgh had a 20-12 lead (a Kyle Dugger pick-six late in the third quarter increased the Steelers’ lead to 20-9) by the time its offense got the ball back with 9:41 to play. With the game still on the line, Rudolph led the offense on a scoring drive that finally put the game on ice.

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Tyler Sullivan

The 12-play, 65-yard drive included another third-and-long conversion by Rudolph, who then capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to Kenneth Gainwell.

Rudolph finished the game with 127 yards and a touchdown on 12-of-16 passing. Rodgers, who injured his left wrist late in the first half, threw for 116 yards and a touchdown on 9-of-15 passing.

The Steelers continued to struggle on third down Sunday with Rodgers; they were just 2 of 7 in the first half against one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Conversely, Pittsburgh was 5 of 6 on third down in the second half with Rudolph leading the way.

“He’s always delivered when called upon in the past,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said afterward when asked to evaluate Rudolph’s performance. “That’s why we like him. His performance is consistent with what he’s done for us in the past. We don’t take him for granted. We don’t take him for granted. We appreciate him.”

Indeed, Rudolph usually kept his promises when asked. In fact, he’s been Pittsburgh’s most consistent quarterback since the Ben Roethlisberger era.

The only quarterback to start a playoff game for Pittsburgh since Roethlisberger’s retirement, Rudolph has won each of his last three regular season starts for the Steelers. Each of those departures came at the end of the 2023 season, when Rudolph came off the bench to help Pittsburgh advance to the playoffs after three straight losses.

Despite his success late in the ’23 season, Pittsburgh allowed Rudolph to sign with the Titans in free agency. After just one season in Nashville, Rudolph re-signed with Pittsburgh during the offseason with the understanding that he would serve as Rodgers’ backup if the four-time league MVP ultimately decided to sign with the Steelers.

While Rodgers was pondering his future, Rudolph was participating in the Steelers’ voluntary offseason workouts. Rudolph continually prepares with a beginner’s mentality; he sends Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith a weekly list of his favorite plays in that week’s game plan.

Rudolph’s work behind the scenes was once again rewarded Sunday in a game the Steelers needed to win to stay ahead of the Ravens in the AFC North standings. This could also lead to Rudolph getting the start for Pittsburgh’s next game at Chicago, regardless of the condition of Rodgers’ injured wrist.

With Rudolph under center, Pittsburgh’s offense performed better than it has in weeks. Against the Bengals, Rudolph was decisive in his decision-making, did not turn the ball over and was held on third down. He was also more accurate than Rodgers, who for whatever reason hasn’t been consistently on the same page with his receivers in recent weeks.

One of Rudolph’s greatest strengths is his ability to play with himself. Unlike Rodgers (who hasn’t made appropriate adjustments to his game despite his advanced age), Rudolph is keenly aware of what he can and can’t do. While Rodgers – even at 41 – possesses superior athletic gifts, Rudolph does a better job with the physical skills he possesses.

Overall, Rodgers’ work this season has been solid. His 18 touchdown passes, for example, are already more than any Steelers quarterback has had in a single season since Big Ben hung up his cleats after the 2021 season.

But even though Rodgers’ individual numbers are good, he and the Steelers offense have struggled mightily in recent weeks. Rodgers has been notably absent; he is regularly off target with his throws and has often held onto the ball too long.

Oddly, the Steelers were in a similar situation a year ago. Despite going 4-2 with Justin Fields as the starter, Tomlin turned the offense over to Russell Wilson once Wilson was physically ready to resume his role as QB1. For a long time, that decision seemed like the right one as Wilson won six of his first seven starts.

Wilson and the Steelers struggled down the stretch, however. Pittsburgh has lost its last five games, including a lackluster performance in a first-round playoff loss to Baltimore. This led Tomlin to turn over his quarterback room for a second straight offseason.

While Tomlin is expected to continue to feed Rodgers the ball when healthy, it’s worth wondering if last year’s experience has changed Tomlin’s mentality when it comes to dealing with aging star quarterbacks who are showing clear signs of decline.

Rodgers’ injury, while unfortunate, gives the Steelers an opportunity to see what Rudolph can do with this offense. This is an opportunity Tomlin shouldn’t pass up.