It has been over two years since veteran quarterback Mason Rudolph made a start in the NFL.
In their Week 9 tie against the Detroit Lions that season, Rudolph finished the game with 242 passing yards on 30 completions, with a touchdown and an inteception. This performance, in many ways, has defined the type of quarterback Rudolph has been in his pro career: lots of promise at the beginning but not enough to get the job done.
Nevertheless, Rudolph will get a chance to show that he can assist a Pittsburgh Steelers team that has been struggling over the past three weeks and whose playoff hopes are on life support. They will undoubtedly need Rudolph to play at his peak if they want to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals, who are on the rise.
In all likelihood, Mitch Trubisky took his last snaps in a Steelers uniform following his poor showing in their loss on Saturday to the Indianapolis Colts. During his Monday press conference, head coach Mike Tomlin made it clear that the reason for the switch had to more do with Rudolph earning his opportunity.
“I’m not trying to lay it all at Mitch’s feet. It’s more about Mason Rudolph being deserving of an opportunity.”
With the possibility of having the team's true starting quarterback Kenny Pickett available for Saturday's contest, the team may have a backup plan in case Rudolph struggles. Given that this might be his final opportunity to make an impression, one should anticipate that Rudolph will give it his all.