Steelers' Mike Tomlin Won't Commit To Mason Rudolph After Another Authoritative Performance Against Seattle

The Pittsburgh Steelers got another much-needed win with Mason Rudolph under center. The 28-year-old completed 18 of 24 passes for 274 yards as the team leaned on Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren to guide them to a 30-23 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Rudolph has now led the team to consecutive victories since replacing Mitch Trubisky to help Pittsburgh hold on to the possibility of a playoff berth. 

Despite coming out with two victories and throwing for over 200 yards for the second straight week, Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin remained non-committal on the status of his starting quarterback during his postgame press conference. Kenny Pickett told the media he was ready to play against the Seahawks, but Tomlin seemed to have opted to stick with the hot hand. 

"We'll talk about that next week," Tomlin said about his decision on who to start against the Baltimore Ravens. "Right now, we're just appreciative of the victory and we'll give you guys something to buzz about for the next 24 or so."  

Leading into the game in Seattle on New Year's Eve, Tomlin had a challenging decision. Pickett said he was ready to go, but acknowledged that it was not his call. Former NFL Head Coach Chuck Pagano said he would've gone with Pickett due to the young quarterback's obvious frustration about potentially sitting the game out.

Rudolph rewarded Tomlin's decision to give him a second consecutive start for the first time since 2019 with another big performance against the Seahawks. For the most part, Pittsburgh's strong rushing attack kept the team in manageable situations, which meant there wasn't too much pressure on Rudolph to make plays. George Pickens was Rudolph's favorite target again in Week 17. 

The young pass-catcher hauled in seven catches for 131 yards. Pickens had a 10-yard reception on the Steelers' second offensive possession to set up a Harris touchdown run two plays later to open the scoring.   

Rudolph was only sacked once during the contest and didn't turn the ball over for the second straight week. In a well-known stadium that can be hostile for opponents, Tomlin said he thought the veteran quarterback "did a nice job."

Steelers Have Another Quarterback Controversy Heading Into Big Week 18 Game

Tomlin will have another tough decision to make when it comes to who is going to play quarterback against the Ravens. The Steelers need a win and then some help to get into the post-season for the first time since Ben Roethlisberger retired. The question of whether or not to go back to Pickett is looming large. 

Pickett has struggled at times in 2023 with accuracy and his pocket presence. The young quarterback showed significant improvement with ball security in the latter half of the 2022 season and continued it into 2023. He passed Roethlisberger for the franchise record when he completed his 208th consecutive pass without an interception in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals in his return from an injury. The one major thing holding him back has been the lack of points scored. He's only scored two passing touchdowns in one game in 2023 against the Las Vegas Raiders. 

Rudolph on the other hand has back-to-back games leading the offense to 30 plus points. He, like Pickett, has also kept turnovers to a minimum. He's also added a deep passing element to the offense that wasn't there with Trubisky or Pickett. 

Pickett is still under contract for another two seasons before the team will have to decide whether they want to pick up his fifth-year option. Rudolph is a free agent after the end of 2023. Tomlin will ultimately make the decision based on who he thinks gives him the best chance to win a crucial divisional contest to finish the 2023 regular season. 

Who do you think should start next week? Comment below!

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