Mike Tomlin announces Mason Rudolph as starter for Week 16 vs. Bengals

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin announced a switch at quarterback for Week 16 on Monday afternoon. Backup quarterback Mason Rudolph will take the job versus the Bengals instead of Mitch Trubisky who got the start on Saturday against the Colts in place of injured Kenny Pickett. The Steelers fell 30-13 to the Colts even as Tomlin swapped the QBs late in the game.

“As I stand here today, Mason Rudolph is the guy with the ball,” Tomlin said on Monday. Despite making the announcement, the head coach said the door is still “ajar” for Pickett to return to the field this week.

“It’s our intention as we sit here today to give Mason Rudolph an opportunity to start,” Tomlin added. “He’s a veteran guy, he’s a backup but he’s a veteran guy. We have a great deal of comfort with him. Why are we making the change? We don’t like what we’re looking at and the consistency of it. We’re not scoring enough points.

“Particularly as you move into December football. You’ve got to score more than 14, 16 points this time of year. The engineering of a victory isn’t going to be fluid without doing those things.”

Steelers make QB switch late in loss vs. Colts

Rudolph hadn’t thrown a pass since the 2021 Christmas holiday season when he checked in on Saturday. Trubisky threw an interception on the series prior and with hopes flickering, Rudolph entered the game at the two-minute warning.

The change didn’t amount to much as the Colts sacked the former Pokes star on fourth down. Rudolph ended the game with two completions on three attempts for three yards. The starter’s final stat line was 16-for-23 for 169 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.

Pickett missed his second straight game after suffering a high ankle sprain against the Cardinals. He had a surgical procedure to help the ligaments heal faster. Before his injury, Pickett had 2,070 passing yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions on the year. He’d also taken 23 sacks.

“Kenny had a really good rehab today,” Tomlin said. “His availability is not out of the question this week. But at the front part of the week, our attention and emphasis is on Mason Rudolph.”

Although Rudolph hasn’t played since December of 2021, he still owns a 5-4-1 career record as Steelers starter. He’s thrown for 2,369 yards and 16 touchdowns with 11 interceptions in his career.