The Pittsburgh Steelers felt as though they couldn't sink any lower following two brutal losses in Weeks 13 and 14 of 2023; both to teams that only had two wins entering their respective games. Apparently, Pittsburgh was able to drop even further after yet another epic collapse against the Indianapolis Colts. Across the board, starting early in the second quarter, nothing went right for the Steelers, and it led to a rare Mason Rudolph sighting. Ben Roethlisberger was doing another livestream during the Steelers' Week 15 game, and the former Steelers quarterback vented a bit of bitterness from his playing days with Rudolph as the target.
Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph has been waiting his turn ever since being drafted in 2018
Steelers Roethlisberger Quite Sure Of Himself, Even In Retirement
It isn't a secret that from the moment the Steelers selected Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 draft, his relationship with Roethlisberger was never what anyone would call close. At best, it seemed like Roethlisberger tolerated Rudolph, but the future Hall of Fame passer did everything in his power to make sure it was him under center rather than Rudolph.
In what has become a 2023 tradition, Roethlisberger took to his Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger podcast to livestream the Steelers' Week 15 matchup against the Colts. As the final minutes of the disappointing game ticked down, Rudolph began warming up on the sidelines ahead of what would be his first regular-season action since 2021. Roethlisberger noticed the backup quarterback preparing on the sidelines, and while his response initially seemed positive, it became further proof that even in retirement, there is a prickly relationship between the two quarterbacks.
"Mason's warming up! Mason's always warming up. He always warms up, he used to warm up when I was playing. Mason, you're not going in when I'm there!"
Immediately after he said that, it was obvious that Roethlisberger realized he had just let something slip that probably should have remained as an inner thought. His co-host Spencer Te'o didn't waste any time jumping in to try and diffuse the situation by reminding Roethlisberger not to give the media ammunition, but the comment was already said. Granted, few people would be surprised to know that Rudolph and Roethlisberger aren't close friends or buddies by any stretch, but it was still one of the moments where the former quarterback probably shouldn't have said anything at all.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph has a strong arm and wants to prove that he knows how to win in the NFL
Steelers May Try To Win With Rudolph Going Forward
After the Steelers' Week 14 loss to the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Head Coach Mike Tomlin spoke highly of Mitch Trubisky and made it clear that he would be the starter against the Colts. That bubble burst pretty quickly, with Trubisky's poor play leading to Rudolph being thrown to wolves in the waning moments of Saturday's contest.
It was Trubisky's second interception of the night that led to his late-game benching, something the Steelers are not accustomed to despite their embattled 2023 season. Even though they have struggled to produce any kind of consistent offense, they have protected the ball well, but the wheels came off that bus against the Colts with three turnovers.
While Kenny Pickett may not have lit the field on fire with his passing, one thing he didn't do is throw interceptions, something that Trusbisky has now done three times in the last two games. For a team that can't afford a single misstep, having a quarterback who is unable to take care of the football is simply unacceptable.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin is showing how much of his success should be tied to Ben Roethlisberger
In his postgame comments following the miserable loss to the Colts, Tomlin was noncommital in his comments about which quarterback would be at the helm moving forward. Considering that, despite the loss to the Patriots, Trubisky had Tomlin's support after the Week 14 failure, it says something that Tomlin wouldn't do the same after another subpar performance.
The reality is that even with Pickett, the Steelers were unsure about their quarterback situation. Now, with their choices being Rudolph or Trubisky, the prospect of clawing a postseason spot back with the traffic jam of teams in the AFC race is slim at best. Thanks to the lack of passing, the Steelers have been unable to get the ground game going either, leading to a total lack of offensive firepower.
The sad truth of the 2023 season is that no one is afraid to play the Steelers; in fact, somewhere along the way, Pittsburgh became the team that is used to bounce back. If that isn't falling well below the standard, then there's nowhere lower to fall, and wholesale change is the only option.
Who should quarterback the 2023 Steelers until Kenny Pickett returns?
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