With Kenny Pickett still recovering from an ankle surgery performed three weeks ago, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is taking a similar tack to what he did last week as the team prepares to face the Seattle Seahawks Sunday at Lumen Field.
The Steelers (8-7) will prepare to play against the Seahawks (8-7) with Mason Rudolph as their starting quarterback and see how Pickett's surgically-repaired ankle responds to practice throughout the week.
However, unlike last week, when Tomlin wasn't necessarily sure what kind of performance he might get from Rudolph after turning to him following two games with Mitch Trubisky replacing Pickett, there is some very tangible evidence that Rudolph can be part of a winning effort for the Steelers.
"There's multiple variables in the discussion and Kenny's health or his relative health is a component of it as well," Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly press conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "Obviously, we feel better having tangible evidence of his performance.
"As I stand here, we are kind of in the same mentality in terms of how we were approaching the week in terms of the day-to-day aspect of it."
That means Rudolph will begin the week taking the starter snaps and that will continue over the course of preparation as Pickett takes limited snaps to try and show he is recovered from the TightRope surgery he underwent to help speed the process of his recovery from a high-ankle sprain.
It's the same approach the Steelers took last week that resulted in a 34-11 win over the Bengals that snapped a three-game losing streak and kept the team alive in the playoff hunt.
Rudolph, making his first start in more than two seasons after being elevated from the No. 3 role, completed 17 of 27 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns, posting a 124.0 passer rating.
Second-year wide receiver George Pickens was the biggest beneficiary of that, catching four passes for a career-high 195 yards, including touchdowns of 86 and 66 yards.
"He did a really good job of being comfortable, being himself, communicating with people, regardless of moments," Tomlin said. "I thought that showed the confidence that he has in himself, and also thought that he remained aggressive throughout."
The offensive output was the most the Steelers have scored this season and was their most points in a game since they scored 37 points in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11 of the 2021 season.
Ironically, that game against the Chargers came one week after Rudolph had made his last start as a fill-in for Ben Roethlisberger, who had tested positive for COVID the night before a Week 10 game against the Lions that season.
Rudolph also is the fourth-longest tenured Steelers player, and that knowledge of the team and his command of the offense showed against Cincinnati.
"I thought it was a very natural act," Tomlin said of the leadership he thought Rudolph displayed against the Bengals.
"Oftentimes, leadership is reflected in just thoughtfulness in terms of how you interact with others, and you better be confident in what you're doing before that has a chance to reveal itself, and so I know he's a confident guy. And so I wasn't surprised that he was thoughtful about his interactions with others and displayed natural leadership skills and play."
As for Pickett's recovery time, Tomlin was non-committal about the potential return of the team's starting quarterback this week.
"I'm not into the hypotheticals," Tomlin said. "That's just the plan that we have laid out for the week because it's similar to the front part of last week. We'll see where Kenny's availability is, and we'll make judgments from there."
Roberts out, Fitzpatrick questionable: Tomlin said linebacker Elandon Roberts, who suffered a pectoral injury in the second quarter of the win over the Bengals, will be out this week.
But safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and Trenton Thompson, who missed the game against the Bengals with knee and neck injuries, respectively, both could return to practice this week and potentially play against the Seahawks.
"Both guys could be described as limited starting the week and we'll see how limited (Wednesday) and look at the quality of that work and let that be our guide as we progress through the week," Tomlin said.
Tomlin credited the play the Steelers got out of replacements for that trio as a reason for the victory over the Bengals.
Veteran linebacker Myles Jack and safety Eric Rowe were both elevated off the practice squad as replacements, while cornerback Patrick Peterson moved to safety to make his first start there.
Jack had six tackles and a sack, while Rowe had seven tackles and an interception, and Peterson two tackles and an interception.
"We had them on the practice squad as capable players guys that we could call upon and it gives us varsity like, work and effort in their play reflected that," Tomlin said of Jack and Rowe. "We got a sack from Myles Jack. We got an interception from Eric Rowe. We got an interception from Pat and his first game full time as a safety. So, I'm just really appreciative of that experience and versatility, the ability to execute defense, though I wasn't shocked or surprised by it. But it's still appreciated when you have six or seven days to prepare."
• Dale Lolley is co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. Subscribe to the podcast here: Apple Podcast | iHeart Podcast
