Steelers' Eddie Faulkner Noted That The Emerging Quarterback Controversy Decision Falls On Mike Tomlin

Last week in the Pittsburgh Steelers' final home game of the regular season, they were finally able to get the ball rolling on offense against the Cincinnati Bengals. The star of the show was quarterback Mason Rudolph who stepped in and threw for 290 yards with two passing touchdowns. Rudolph also was able to utilize wide receiver George Pickens which none of the team's quarterbacks seemed to be able to do throughout the season on a consistent basis. With how well that game went, everyone is questioning who should be starting this week with the pending return of Kenny Pickett.

With the way last week's game went, Rudolph is slowly building his confidence and has been taking first-team reps this week to prepare himself as if he is the starter for Week 17. Although Rudolph seems to be the hot hand right now, you have to remember that Pickett wasn't playing horribly when he was out on the field this season. In his last full game that he played in, Pickett threw for 278 yards in a win over the Bengals. He also hasn't thrown an interception since Week 4 against the Houston Texans and led the Steelers to a 7-4 record when fully healthy.

Both quarterbacks seemed to have different approaches when they play and will set the Steelers up with a tough decision on who to start this week. With Rudolph, you seem to have a quarterback who is willing to let the ball rip and try to make splash plays, which we saw work out when he connected with Pickens for a 66-yard touchdown.

What you have with Pickett is a conservative quarterback who although didn't throw an interception since Week 4, was only able to find the end zone twice during that time frame. He is basically a game manager who is going to try and make as little mistakes as possible to hopefully bring his team a win. This style, although it can be frustrating, has somewhat worked for him during his time in the NFL.

Steelers Interim OC Chimes In

The decision on who will be the starter going forward is one of the biggest decisions that have needed to be made all season and could determine if the Steelers make the playoffs or not. This decision will end up being decided by Head Coach Mike Tomlin according to Interim Offensive Coordinator Eddie Faulkner. He stated this in an interview with DK Pittsburgh Sports on Thursday morning.

"Like I was saying earlier, we are going to just go through the process of basically what we did last week and then when it comes time to make that call, that's going to really fall on Mike T's [Tomlin] desk."

The Steelers current quarterbacks coach, Mike Sullivan, who has also become the team's primary play-caller after the firing of Matt Canada, also commented on the current status of the quarterbacks during this interview. He has been working with Pickett and Rudolph more than any of the other coaches, and hopefully has some input in the decision, rather than Tomlin making it fully by himself.

"Mason had his opportunity. He prepared well and fortunately, it worked out well for us to put us in a position for a great game against Seattle - which we're really looking forward to this week."

When the time comes on Sunday and the Steelers have to take the field against the Seattle Seahawks, no matter who is the starter at the time, they need to step up in a big way and secure the win. Even though the offense looked like they had struggled all year long, the Steelers are in a position to potentially make the playoffs, but these next two weeks are must-win games.

Sunday will be a big test for the quarterback position in Pittsburgh and could determine what they do in the offseason. So, with that, what do you think, Steeler Nation? Who do you want to see as the starter on Sunday? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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