Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is turning to Mason Rudolph this week as the team's starting quarterback.
Tomlin said Monday that Rudolph will be prepped to start at quarterback this week over veteran Mitch Trubisky – though he also added that there's an outside chance that Kenny Pickett could be cleared to return for this game.
"It's our intention as we sit here today to get Mason Rudolph an opportunity to start," Tomlin said Monday at his weekly press conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "He's a veteran guy. He's a backup but he's also a veteran guy. He's been in our program a long time. He's here for those reasons. We got a great deal of comfort with him.
"Why are we making the change? We don't like what we're looking at in the consistency of it. What I mean is we're not scoring enough points, particularly as you move into December football. You've got the score more than 12, 14, 16 points in games this time of year. You had better assume that others are doing the same."
Rudolph, a third-round draft pick of the Steelers in 2018, has started 10 games in his time with the team, most of them coming in 2019 when Ben Roethlisberger was lost in the second game of the season to an elbow injury.
He led the Steelers to a 5-3 record in games he started that season, sharing time with Devlin Hodges. Rudolph's last start came Nov. 14, 2021 with the Steelers against the Lions when he made a spot start in place of Roethlisberger, who tested positive for COVID-19 the night before the game.
Rudolph, who owns a 5-4-1 record as a starter, completed 30 of 50 passes for 242 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 16-16 tie against the Lions. The Steelers lost a fumble both at the end of regulation and in overtime in Detroit territory in that game.
In his career, Rudolph has completed 61.5 percent of his passes for 2,369 yards with 16 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions, posting a passer rating of 80.8.
"He's tough-minded. He's got a lot of confidence in himself," Tomlin said of Rudolph. "He's a competitor. And so those are some of the things that are really attractive about giving him an opportunity this week.
"He is a competitor. He believes in himself. He's a calculated risk taker. I believe that that mentality is helpful to us under these circumstances."
With Pickett out the past two games and just over a half of the third, Tomlin had gone with Trubisky at quarterback. But the Steelers have scored 18 and 13 points in Trubisky's starts against New England and last Saturday against Indianapolis, losing both games.
Tomlin pulled Trubisky against the Colts late in the fourth quarter to get Rudolph some snaps.
Pickett was injured just before the half of the team's 24-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals Dec. 3, a game that kicked off a three-game losing streak that has seen the team go from 7-4 and in control of their playoff position in a crowded AFC field to 7-7 and on the outside looking in with three games remaining.
Pickett had surgery on his ankle Dec. 4 and has been rehabbing the injury since.
"I just had a conversation with Kenny," Tomlin said. "He had a really good rehab today. His availability is not out of question this week. But the front part of the week, our attention and emphasis will be on Mason Rudolph, and we'll leave the door ajar and see how Kenny responds to the work that he did today, the limited work that we're probably going to give him tomorrow and again establish sort of position in terms of a pecking order."
What would Tomlin need to see out of Pickett this week to make him shift to starting him over Rudolph?
"First of all, the medical experts lead the charge in that regard in terms of medical clearance and then it's just overall effectiveness," Tomlin said. "First and foremost, his ability to move and protect himself. Secondly, his effectiveness in terms of movement, his ability to ad lib, etc."
The idea is to do whatever the Steelers can and need to do to get a win this week and snap their current slide.
"I'm focusing my confidence on this week and this week's prep. I'm not I'm not a big picture guy," Tomlin said.
• Dale Lolley is co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. Subscribe to the podcast here: Apple Podcast | iHeart Podcast
Steelers lose safety: Safety Damontae Kazee has been suspended for the remainder of the season for his hit on Indianapolis wide receiver Michael Pittman in the second quarter of their game Saturday.
According to NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan, Kazee was, "involved in a play that the League considers a serious violation of the playing rules. The video of the play shows that you delivered a forcible blow to the head/neck area of Colts' receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who was in a defenseless posture. You had an unobstructed path to your opponent and the illegal contact could have been avoided. Your actions were flagrant, and as a result, you were disqualified from the game."
Kazee was ejected from the game following the play, and fellow safety Minkah Fitzpatrick suffered a knee injury on the next play, leaving the Steelers without their two starting safeties for the remainder of the game.
Backup Trenton Thompson also suffered a stinger in the third quarter. At times, the Steelers played cornerback Patrick Peterson at safety against the Colts.
Fitzpatrick also will be out this week against the Bengals because of his knee injury, leaving the Steelers, who were already playing without safety Keanu Neal, who is on IR with a rib injury, painfully short at the position.
Tomlin said Elijah Riley, who is eligible to come off injured reserve, where he was placed with an ankle injury, and veteran Eric Rowe, who is on the practice squad, could be pressed into action this week against the Bengals.
