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Mason Rudolph has waited patiently on the sideline for his opportunity this season, and now he could be the hero the Pittsburgh Steelers need to save their season and will them to the playoffs.
Rudolph’s big performance against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday garnished major support from fans who are ready to see Mike Tomlin make him the starter. Per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Rudolph is enjoying the praise he’s received.
“We’re all human,” Rudolph said. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it or I didn’t like it, but it’s a week-to-week league. I’ve been on the other end of it, so you try to block it out and play the game. … We’ve got a bunch of passionate fans, and what a joy to play in front of them tonight, last home game while my family in town. It was amazing.”
In his first start of the season on Saturday, Rudolph passed for 290 yards and a pair of touchdowns, leading the Steelers to a win over the Bengals.
Rudolph didn’t see any action this season until the final moments of last week’s game against the Indianapolis Colts, playing relief for Mitch Trubisky. He’s been with the Steelers since 2018 when he was drafted in the third round out of Oklahoma State, though he hasn’t been the starter since 2019, when he recorded 1,765 yards and 13 touchdowns in 10 games.
Despite a solid performance from Rudolph, Tomlin isn’t quite ready to make a decision on the Steelers’ starting quarterback for next week’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. Kenny Pickett will likely be back in the mix after coming back from an ankle injury, and the Steelers could also give the nod back to Trubisky despite a Tomlin benching him for Rudolph.
Whoever the Steelers decide to go with, they will need consistency out of their quarterback. Pittsburgh still has a chance at reaching the playoffs, but they will need to win their remaining games. According to the New York Times, the Steelers would have an 82% chance to make the playoffs if they win their final two games, but their odds would decrease significantly if they lost either of their remaining games. After facing the Seahawks, the Steelers will face the Baltimore Ravens to close out the season.
Rudolph got his chance to be in the limelight on Saturday, and he’s hoping to get that chance again next week.
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