Before the season started, there was no quarterback controversy for the Pittsburgh Steelers. 2022 first-rounder Kenny Pickett was the clear starter.
Now, despite a healthy Pickett, the Steelers are starting Mason Rudolph against the Buffalo Bills on Monday. What happened to Pickett?
Why Is Mason Rudolph Starting Over Kenny Pickett This Week?
This was going to be the year the Pittsburgh Steelers hit rock bottom. They play in one of the toughest divisions in football. Pickett was, by far, the worst starting quarterback in the AFC North. Yet, every year, the Pittsburgh Steelers just find a way.
The Steelers closed the season on a three-game winning streak and clinched a playoff spot when the Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Tennessee Titans in Week 18.
Over the season, the Steelers have started three different quarterbacks. Pickett opened the season as the unquestioned starter. His job was not at all in jeopardy. Mitch Trubisky was forced to make starts when Pickett got hurt, but Pickett got his job back as soon as he was ready to return.
In Week 13, Pickett went down with an ankle injury that required tightrope surgery. The injury was expected to sideline him for about three weeks. During his absence, Trubisky once again took over as the starter.
However, much to the shock of just about no one, it didn’t go particularly well. As a result, head coach Mike Tomlin turned to 2019 starter (following Ben Roethlisberger’s Week 1 season-ending injury) Mason Rudolph. Essentially, Tomlin had nothing to lose — it couldn’t get worse.
Rudolph had fallen to third string on the Steelers because he wasn’t particularly good during his brief tenure as the starting quarterback. But to his credit, he stuck around. And in this next go-round, things have been much better.
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Rudolph threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns with, most importantly, no interceptions in his first start this season, a win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The following week, Pickett started practicing again, but given Rudolph’s performance, the Steelers had no reason to force him back. They opted to give Pickett another week to rest. Rudolph played well once again.
The Steelers defeated the Seahawks in a game where Rudolph threw for 274 yards and no interceptions. He didn’t throw a touchdown, but that’s just because the Steelers happened to run all of their scores in. Rudolph played well.
Heading into Week 18, Pickett was fully cleared by the team’s medical staff. Yet, Tomlin did not reinstall him as the starter. Rudolph was the hot hand, and Tomlin saw no reason to upset the proverbial applecart.
Rudolph got a gift matchup against a Baltimore Ravens team that was not playing most of their starters, and he won it. That marked three consecutive victories for Rudolph and a playoff berth. Rudolph still has not thrown an interception this season.
Pickett has never looked anything resembling a quality NFL quarterback. It was always a curious decision by the Steelers to stick by him steadfastly. However, recent actions reveal that perhaps the team wasn’t as committed to him as they appeared. After all, it didn’t take much for Tomlin to start a third-stringer — who the team went out of its way to try and upgrade from — over Pickett.
Rudolph is far from a special player. But he is better than Pickett and undoubtedly gives the Steelers the best chance to win. Will it be enough to get past the red-hot Bills in the Wild Card Round? Probably not. But Rudolph earned the right to start.
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