Having been with the Steelers since 2018, Mason Rudolph has seen the team go through some situations such as the one it faces Saturday in Baltimore.
For the Steelers (9-7) to get into the playoffs, the best scenario to do so is to beat the Ravens (13-3). But even with that, they would still need additional help to get in, including losses by the Bills or Jaguars on Sunday.
Knowing that, Rudolph, who will make his third consecutive start at quarterback on Saturday against the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, is focused on only one thing – winning.
Rudolph has been to the playoffs in 2020 and 2021 with the Steelers. But in both of those seasons, Ben Roethlisberger was the Steelers' starting quarterback and Rudolph started just two combined games in his place.
This time around, it's Rudolph who has been chosen to be the quarterback who gets a shot to help the team into the playoffs.
"I think we've made the playoffs a couple of times, but it was with Ben (Roethlisbeger), so it's good experience to be in the stadium but obviously you're not leading the charge out," Rudolph said Tuesday, a day after he was named the team's starter in Baltimore by head coach Mike Tomlin.
"(We) need to be great. That's why we play. That's why we all worked as hard as we had the last few weeks trying to win these games but put ourselves in the position to make the playoffs and we're going to try to control that on Saturday."
That Rudolph is in this spot is a testament to how well he has played the past two weeks in place of injured Kenny Pickett. Rudolph spent the first 12 weeks of this season as the Steelers' No. 3 quarterback, elevating to second-string behind Mitch Trubisky for two games after Pickett had ankle surgery Dec. 4.
But after Rudolph completed 35 of 51 passes for 564 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions the past two games – both of them Steelers victories – Tomlin is sticking with Rudolph as the starter, even with Pickett now healthy enough to return.
"It's another great opportunity to play a game, so I'm very excited," Rudolph said. "Obviously, we have a lot to play for. So, I'm just focused on having a good day of prep today, having a good week of practice and knowing all we can control is our performance, whether we win or lose. We've got tunnel vision on that and the rest of the chips will fall where they fall."
The Steelers defeated the Ravens, 17-10, earlier this season in Pittsburgh in Week 5, with Pickett throwing for 224 yards and a touchdown. And with Baltimore already having clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC with its win last week over the Dolphins, the Ravens could decide to rest a number of starters in this game.
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Whether the Ravens do rest starters or not, Rudolph knows playing at M&T Bank Stadium will be a tall task.
"A lot of energy. They've got great fans," Rudolph said. "They've got a great team, a great fan base, (it's) a loud place to play. It's always fun. And it's so it's a rivalry, and we're all excited about it."
None likely more excited than Rudolph.
Saturday's start will be the 13th of his career. After beating Cincinnati and Seattle in the past two weeks, he now owns a 7-4-1 record as the Steelers' starter.
But eight of those starts came in 2019 with Roethlisberger out for all but two games because of an elbow injury. This time around, Rudolph has seized the moment.
He hopes to do that again on Saturday. After that, all the Steelers will be able to do is watch and see if it will be enough not only for them, but for Rudolph to earn another start.
"We're just gonna play the game Saturday and watch the games on Sunday," Rudolph said. "Hopefully, we do our job right and if we get what we need in the games on Sunday, we'll get (another game) so that's all what I focused on."
