PITTSBURGH – Who knows how much Mason Rudolph thought about the gravity of the situation?
But there's no doubt it crossed his mind. At 28, brought back on a whim this offseason to be the third-string quarterback and more than two years removed from his last start (and more than four years removed from the Myles Garrett incident), it certainly could have could be.
Getting the chance to start an NFL game as a third-string quarterback doesn't happen often. For Rudolph to have a chance Saturday night when the Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Cincinnati Bengals, Kenny Pickett had to injure his ankle and Mitch Trubisky had to implode in losses to the Patriots and Colts before Mike Tomlin reluctantly turned to Rudolph.
Imagine how debilitating it might have been for Rudolph, knowing that one loss would all but eliminate the Steelers from the playoffs, and knowing who in the world would ever give him another one would give him a chance if he played badly.
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As a free agent this offseason, Rudolph attracted limited interest before returning to the Steelers on a veteran minimum contract. And you've seen how bad some teams' quarterback situations are these days.
Asked after the game if he thought this might be his last chance, Rudolph replied: “You never know.”
“You have confidence as a player,” he added, “but you're kind of thinking, 'Am I going to go into commercial real estate next year, or am I going to play quarterback?'”
Rudolph smiled slightly crookedly, perhaps because his answer was much more truthful than he would have intended. If he had played poorly against the Bengals, Rudolph's chances of ever playing in the NFL again would have been very high. Just look at how long it took for him to get back into the lineup while both Pickett and Trubisky struggled on a daily basis.
If you think that's not true, think again.
After an 86-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens on the second play, Rudolph looked toward the stands to find out where his parents were. He knew what was at stake and still performed impeccably.
Still, it could be a one-time thing.
Heck, Tomlin, speaking after the win, wouldn't even sign Rudolph for next week's must-win game against the Seattle Seahawks. Pickett practiced last week and was very well able to be released in time for Sunday's game.
Tomlin was noncommittal, although Rudolph finished 17 of 27 for 290 yards, two touchdowns and a passer rating of 124.4 as the Steelers' offense scored 34 points, the most it has scored in a game since November 2021. Pittsburgh defeated Cincinnati 34-4. 11 after going into the season with no wins by a margin of more than seven points.
“Very rewarding,” Rudolph said. “I’m just grateful to be back on this team and grateful to have a chance. … As hard as it is to watch for two and a half years, you can go into autopilot mode or try to improve. … Call the play in the huddle, the snap count, try to walk through it, simulate what you would do if you were there. As the years go by, your football IQ improves.”
That's a refreshing answer.
“I thought I had a good week of training, but I didn't sleep – I don't think I slept at all,” Rudolph said. “I think it was like Monday night to Tuesday practice, just because it was like that – I hadn't done a full day of reps in a while, so you're a little nervous and tense. … Just a kind of nervousness, like in training camp in recent years. Before the first day you are a little nervous. It’s probably more excitement than nerves.”
If there was any nervousness at all, it quickly dissipated on his first throw of the game, which Pickens hit brilliantly for an 86-yard touchdown. It was just one of many good throws. He stretched the field like neither Pickett nor Trubisky had, hitting Pickens for throws of 44 and then 66 yards.
Rudolph was fluent in his reads, went through his progressions, was accurate and made virtually every throw except for a missed shot against Diontae Johnson. This came after Tomlin feared he might be rusty and cited that as a reason why Rudolph didn't start against the Colts last week.
“I think he did a really good job of not showing any rust for a guy who hasn't played a lot,” Tomlin said.
Rudolph deserved what he got against the Bengals.
After being drafted in the third round, incumbent quarterback Ben Roethlisberger almost immediately questioned why the team would “waste” a pick on a quarterback. The frosty relationship continued until Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season.
Rudolph went through many experiences in his first few seasons that many might never have overcome – from not having a quarterbacks coach to playing third as a rookie (with his only snaps of the season coming after practice via virtual reality were made) to being the quarterback to replace Roethlisberger in Week 2 of the 2020 season. Then the loss to Earl Thomas, the Garrett incident, the Duck-Hodges phenomenon, the tie against the Lions and then years of inactivity.
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Rudolph was a punchline, not just in Pittsburgh but in NFL circles.
“I’m happy for Mason,” center Mason Cole said. “If anyone deserves this, it’s him.”
While he could have easily given up, Rudolph kept his mouth shut and worked so that when the opportunity presented itself, he would be ready. All players say that, but Rudolph lived it.
Especially this week, with all the noise surrounding Pickens and his selfishness, it couldn't have been a better message to the team. Forget “The standard is the standard” or what Tomlin said after the game: “Fear of money doesn’t make money.”
Rudolph is living proof that the old school approach still works. Maybe that's why Steelers fans turned Rudolph. They called his name late in the Patriots game while he stood on the sideline and started doing it again in the third quarter on Saturday.
“I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it or didn’t like it,” Rudolph said. “But it’s a week-to-week league. Like I said, I was on the other end of it, so I try not to do it – you try to block it out and play the game.”
When Rudolph heard what was going on, he waved his hands and told the over 66,000 spectators to calm down. A lesser person might have faulted them for the way they have spoken about him over the years. Pickens talked about keeping this week's receipts. If Rudolph did that, he would have a suitcase full of them.
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Instead, what did Rudolph like most about the experience? “I earn my salary and don’t just feel like a copycat,” he said.
Now the Steelers have someone to rally around. Teams have already made moves with far less talented players, but Tomlin's unwillingness to move on to Rudolph may prove too late in the process. The Steelers need to beat Seattle and Baltimore and then hope for help to make the playoffs.
“Shoutout to Mason,” linebacker Alex Highsmith said. “He came out and did his thing. He worked and it showed. We all gathered around him and he came out and did his thing.”
The team gave Rudolph the game ball, and rightly so.
But if we look at this as a feel-good story, we might be looking at it the wrong way. Maybe we need to look deeper.
Rudolph could be exactly what this team and this offense need.
Coming from his days at Oklahoma State, he's always been a good shooter, and when you have a player like Pickens, you can get on the scoreboard quickly. Tomlin talked all week about the need to score points. But if you have a quarterback who is scared (Pickett) or unable to throw the ball deep (Trubisky), you can't score.
“The plays we picked, Mason just let it rip,” Pickens said. “It’s all on the QB, and I feel like he personally took more shots. I was hoping he would give me a chance.”
Pickens caught four passes for 195 yards and two scores. He was unstoppable. That opened up the running game and the offense was running like never before. The offensive line was throwing the ball away from people and the defense was solid despite their injuries.
Was this all because of Mason Rudolph? Well, what else was different? You tell me.
(Photo: Charles LeClaire / USA Today)
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