The Pittsburgh Steelers are rolling with the hot hand. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters that Mason Rudolph would remain the starting quarterback despite Week 1 starter Kenny Pickett being cleared to return to action.
Pickett underwent an ankle surgery in early December and has progressed well in his rehabilitation. The sophomore signal-caller is expected to return to practice this week, but he won’t be getting his job back.
“I anticipate him being available to practice, “Tomlin said of Pickett following the Steelers’ 23-30 win over the Seattle Seahawks. “That being said, we’ve got to leave the ball in Mason Rudolph’s hands. 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 taking care of the ball.”
Mitch Trubisky initially replaced Pickett as the Steelers starter, but a string of poor performances caused him to be benched late in Week 15 game against the Indianapolis Colts. Rudolph, who was a third-stringer to start the season, stepped in and provided a badly needed spark for Pittsburgh’s offense.
Rudolph threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals and followed that with a 274 passing yards, 75.0% pass completion performance against the Seahawks.
The Steelers are currently 9-7 and can secure a playoff spot with a win over the Baltimore Ravens in the final week of the regular season. They can also get in with a loss but need several results to go their way.
