The Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to erase the bitter taste of their three-game winning streak that stretched from Week 13 to Week 15 of 2023. With the Cincinnati Bengals coming to town in Week 16, confidence seemed low, but then the Steelers came out and surprised everyone with a 34-11 victory. Mason Rudolph was a key player in that win, and the biggest question following their game against the Bengals is whether or not Kenny Pickett should be the starter for their Week 17 Seattle Seahawks matchup. According to Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers' best chance for another win is by going back to Rudolph.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph hasn't always had the easiest time in the NFL, but he has stayed prepared and willing.
Steelers’ Roethlisberger Backs Rudolph As Week 17 Starter
Considering that Week 16 of 2023 was a divisional matchup for the Steelers, the game had a playoff atmosphere, and Pittsburgh put forth a genuine postseason-like effort. Rudolph had a brilliant game, which is all the more impressive when you take into account that his last start was during the 2021 season.
Roethlisberger, on his Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger podcast on Monday, talked about the situation with Rudolph and whether he would be a better choice over Pickett against the Seahawks. It would be easy to assume that Roethlisberger would want Rudolph to sit simply based on their relationship prior to Roethlisberger's retirement, but as it turns out, the opposite was true.
"I think you go with Mason. Listen, Kenny's your future. Kenny is your guy. I think you need to protect him a little bit, too. Obviously, you'd like to get him on the field and play, but if he's not one hundred percent, why not give Mason a shot? What he did this week - 34 points, threw for 200, almost 300 yards - seemed to kind of put a little spark into the team. I'd stay with him for another week...I thought that was a career day for Mason. He's probably waiting for that day for his whole life. I mean, this is what he has been waiting for, so I thought that was good."
With Rudolph leading them, the Steelers put up more points than they have in a very long while and had their best quarterback performance since the days of Roethlisberger. If Pittsburgh's future Hall of Fame quarterback believes that his former team would be better served with Rudolph under center, it has to be at least taken into consideration. The 2023 Steelers have no room left for error, so Mike Tomlin needs to make sure whoever starts gives them the best chance of victory possible, and not just because of draft pedigree.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin is a polarizing figure despite never having a losing season in his career.
Steelers Have To Win Regardless Of Their Quarterback
A quarterback controversy is always juicy for the media, but the reality in Pittsburgh is that one has simply shown more than the other in a much shorter time frame. Pickett has a paltry six touchdowns during the 2023 season, and even though he has only thrown four interceptions, the truth is that what the Steelers have seen from their former first-round pick hasn't been too impressive.
There is no guarantee that what Pittsburgh and the rest of the NFL saw out of Rudolph in Week 16 is going to be what he plays like going forward, but it can't be much worse than their other choices. Mitch Trubisky has yet again shown why his time with the Chicago Bears was unsuccessful, with his games in Pittsburgh not being much better. At this point in the 2023 season, with only two games left to secure that elusive postseason spot, the Steelers can really only turn to Pickett or Rudolph.
Gene J. Puskar / AP PHOTO
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (#8) can't seem to shake his tendency to miss games due to injury.
Everything points to Rudolph being the smart choice for Pittsburgh to use as their starting quarterback against Seattle in Week 17, but it will come down to whether Tomlin believes in what he saw on Saturday night enough to back him going forward. Pickett may be their supposed franchise guy, but it hasn't been an easy road when he has tried to navigate the Steelers to victories. Rudolph operated with ease and confidence that have both been severely lacking under center for the 2023 Steelers. That alone should be enough for him to get the nod against the Seahawks.
Which quarterback should get the start for the Steelers in Week 17 of 2023? #SteelerNation
