Mike Tomlin reveals plans to start Mason Rudolph in Week 18 over healthy Kenny Pickett

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed on Monday after his team’s win over the Seahawks that they will be sticking with backup quarterback Mason Rudolph for the final game of the 2023 regular season. Tomlin will start Rudolph despite Kenny Pickett‘s recovery from ankle surgery. He explained his decision during his press conference, revealing the team’s faith in the veteran after wins in consecutive weeks.

“I think Kenny’s availability is less in question this week, that being said, we’re going to leave the ball in Mason Rudolph’s hands,” Tomlin said. “He’s done a good job and we’ve done a good job in the most recent two weeks. We’ve taken care of the ball, he’s taken care of the ball and we’ve scored points at a rate that we haven’t to this point this year. With the urgency of the moment, and because of those reasons, we’re going to leave the ball in his hands.”

“I say all those things with the understanding that Kenny is very capable, in particular when it pertains to this matchup,” Tomlin added. “Kenny’s led us to victory late in the game the last two times we’ve played Baltimore, we feel like we have two capable guys.”

Mason Rudolph has led the Steelers to back-to-back victories over the Bengals and then the Seahawks. He’s thrown for 564 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in those two wins. He’s also taken just two sacks.

Going 18-for-24 on Sunday, Rudolph posted the highest completion percentage so far in his five-year career with the Steelers. He threw for 274 yards and helped lift Pittsburgh over Seattle on the road for just the second time in franchise history, despite not throwing for a touchdown in the game.

Kenny Pickett sidelined despite recovery

Pickett discussed his health with reporters last week, saying that he feels “good,” but the decision whether he plays is up to the coaches. He practiced in a limited fashion each day last week.

“It feels good,” Pickett said of his ankle, via the team’s website. “I am going to take it a day at a time, see what the coaches are saying, what the trainers are saying. They have a plan for me, I am just going about what they are telling me. It feels like I am on track with what I need to do. It’s not how I feel, it’s what they see me doing and how they feel like I am looking moving around.”

Pickett has been sidelined for a month for the Steelers after he suffered an ankle injury that required Tightrope surgery. He returned to practice in limited fashion last week but remained unavailable to play on Saturday.

Prior to the injury, Pickett was completing 62% of his passes with 2,070 passing yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. He is less than 400 yards away from surpassing his 2022 total, which he accumulated over 13 regular season games.

The biggest thing for the Steelers heading into Week 18 is a win over the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Without the win in the final week of the season, the team has hardly any chance to make the playoffs.