After failing to impress filling in for an injured Ben Roethlisberger back in 2019, the Pittsburgh Steelers have spent the past three seasons looking for a different quarterback of the future than Mason Rudolph.
Yet, the 2018 third-rounder finds himself starting a playoff game. How did this happen?
Mason Rudolph To Start for Pittsburgh Steelers on Wild Card Weekend
Imagine you have a time machine. And with this time machine, you decide to travel back to Sept. 1, 2023. Out of all the reports of the future you could provide that would be truly unbelievable, telling people in the past that Joe Flacco and Mason Rudolph would be starting playoff games in January would be right at the top of the list.
Rudolph served as the backup to Big Ben back in the 2019 season. When Roethlisberger went down with a season-ending injury in Week 1, Rudolph took over as starter.
It went so poorly that he was benched for a guy named Duck. Devlin “Duck” Hodges wasn’t any better, but that doesn’t change the fact that Rudolph was benched for him.
Somehow, Rudolph hung around. To this day, it’s surprising the Steelers didn’t cut him. To their credit, they saw some semblance of potential. It was at least enough to keep him around as the backup/third-stringer.
Rudolph entered the 2023 season firmly third on the depth chart. 2022 first-rounder Kenny Pickett was the unquestioned starter. Rather than leave Rudolph as the QB2, the Steelers went out and signed failed starter Mitch Trubisky to be the backup.
The odds of Rudolph ever getting into a game this season were long. Yet, here we are staring down the barrel of Rudolph not only starting a playoff game but doing so on purpose.
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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 which time, Trubisky was set to start.
Unsurprisingly, Trubisky’s starting didn’t go so well. After three disastrous outings, head coach Mike Tomlin opted to give Rudolph a chance. It couldn’t possibly be worse.
Not only was that true, it was, somehow, way better. Rudolph led the Steelers to three straight wins to close the season. Most importantly, he didn’t throw a single interception.
During Rudolph’s run, though, Pickett returned fully healthy. He was borderline ready to go in Week 17, but there was no reason to force him back with how well Rudolph had played. In Week 18, however, Pickett was cleared and ready to play. He was active as the backup.
Pickett may have lost his starting job due to injury, but the injury has nothing to do with why he didn’t get it back. The simple fact is Pickett isn’t good enough to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. He’s thrown a mere 13 touchdowns in 24 starts and averages just 179 passing yards per game.
Rudolph is not some sort of savior. He is almost certainly not going to be the Steelers’ Week 1 starting quarterback in 2024. But right now, he’s the guy who gives them the best chance to win.
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