Three weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were dead in the water. They had lost consecutive games to the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, and Indianapolis Colts. It might be the three worst losses in the Mike Tomlin era, which is saying something. The Cardinals and Patriots were 10-loss teams who traveled to Acrisure Stadium and embarrassed the Steelers. The Colts were trotting out Gardner Minshew without their star running back, Jonathan Taylor.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph (2) and Head Coach Mike Tomlin.
The fan base was livid, and for the first time, many in the media questioned whether Tomlin would remain in Pittsburgh. Tomlin was desperate, so he did something that was almost inconceivable. He turned the keys of the offense over to Mason Rudolph. Tomlin had buried Rudolph deep on the depth chart below Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett. Pickett got hurt, and Trubisky might have permanently damaged his ability to find work. Tomlin had no real choice but Rudolph, so he threw him in against the Bengals, and it paid off.
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Steelers insider Mark Kaboly (middle) joins Pat McAfee (left ) and AJ Hawk (right) from the league meetings in Arizona.
On Friday, Mark Kaboly from The Athletic joined The PM Team w/Poni and Mueller to discuss the Steelers' trip to face the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. Kaboly, one of the biggest Rudolph supporters in the media, suggested that if Pittsburgh comes up short this weekend against the backups for the Ravens, Tomlin's hot seat might reignite.
“Everything favors the Steelers in this game, and that’s probably what should worry you,” Kaboly opined. “If they lose this game, man, the city’s going to turn right back against Mike Tomlin. Fire and trade him, right? This would probably be one of the ultimate worst losses of his 17 years.”
Steelers' Mike Tomlin Makes Shocking Decision Not To Let Chris Boswell Attempt 56-Yard Field Goal
The Steelers' head coach did choose to insert Rudolph into the lineup, that is not in dispute. However, after offering a flimsy excuse about Trubisky's decision-making for why he did not let Chris Boswell attempt a field goal to bring Pittsburgh within one score weeks ago, he did not have a choice. Tomlin and Teryl Austin have managed to piece together a defense with practice squad players and recent retirees who have been pretty good over the last two weeks. The Rudolph decision has reinforced the support of Tomlin nationally, but in all honesty, Trubisky made it for him.
Andrew Fillipponi, who has been particularly hard on Tomlin this season, asked Kaboly if a loss to the Ravens would be worse than the games they lost to the Patriots and Cardinals at home. The Athletic scribe did not hesitate to give his opinion.
“This one’s bad, because they made the turnaround,” Kaboly continued. “Baltimore’s not playing, not starting any of their key players. All you basically have to do is win and if you go down there and lay an egg, you know what the narrative is, Tomlin doesn’t have them ready for the big games.”
The Steelers' record in big games under Tomlin is splattered with embarrassing losses. They have fallen hopelessly behind in big games since Super Bowl XLVI. Ben Roethlisberger made many of those games close in the end, but it has progressively worsened with each passing year. A win against the Ravens on Saturday and a playoff berth will restart the national media talking about how great Steeler Nation has it. A loss would infuriate fans, but Fillipponi asked if Kaboly would object to the outcry.
“No. I’m going to say yeah, that’s true,” Kaboly concluded. “I’m not going to say fire or trade him or anything. What I’m saying that the talk of trading or firing him will be in full force Monday if they lose.”
Steelers fans have had their fill of Rich Eisen, Jay Glazer, and the rest of the endless supporters who blame others when Tomlin comes up short and shower him with praise when he accidentally succeeds. The thing that is lost in the hosannas for turning to Rudolph is why it took nearly two years for him to get on the field if he was the best option in the current quarterback room. If Trubisky had beaten the Patriots or Colts, would Rudolph have gotten a chance?
AP Photo
Steelers Team President Art Rooney II (left) and Head Coach Mike Tomlin (right) oversee practice during the 2021 minicamp in Pittsburgh.
The answer is probably not. Therein lies the rub. It is a question that won't ever get asked, but it should. Hopefully, as fans of the black and gold, Rudolph and the Steelers will find a way to beat the Ravens and get the help they need to make the AFC playoffs. Regardless of how they fare in Baltimore, Tomlin needs to answer some very tough questions about the state of the Pittsburgh offense and what he plans to do to fix it. The question is, will Art Rooney II ask them?
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Is Tomlin getting too much credit for digging out of a hole he created? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
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