Nobody pretends to be playing an early-season game when you’re a child playing football in the backyard. Something needs to be at stake, and typically it’s an illusory Lombardi Trophy. The Pittsburgh Steelers face a crucial match in Week 18, even if they aren’t exactly at that point in the season yet.
It’s practically a must-win game, really. Though winning is the simplest way to punch a ticket to the postseason, Pittsburgh can theoretically still make it in even with a loss (we’ll discuss that later).
However, there is a catch. Kenny Pickett won’t be the starting quarterback, even though this kind of situation would be ideal for the team’s franchise quarterback to rise up and become a hero. Rather,
Pickett Will Dress for the First Time Since Surgery
Even while you most likely consider a quarterback’s arm to be their most valuable skill, movement is still quite significant. If all you are in the pocket is a static traffic cone, then all the talent in the world is meaningless.
Part of the reason Pickett hasn’t been involved is that reality.
The signal-caller for the Steelers attempted to run for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in the beginning of December. On the play, he seemed to turn his ankle after being stopped just short of the goal line. He got up to leave and never came back.
Head coach Mike Tomlin later told reporters that the ankle had been bothering Pickett for a while. And shortly thereafter, the quarterback went under the knife to help accelerate the healing process. He hasn’t played since.
In Week 18, however, there will be a step (pun not intended) in the right direction. Pickett has returned to practice and he will be in uniform on Saturday.
There’s a catch, though. He isn’t starting.
Why Is Mason Rudolph Starting for the Steelers?
The objective must be victory when the Steelers take on the Ravens on Saturday. Although Pittsburgh cannot control their own destiny, a win would allow Tomlin’s team to go to the postseason in the event that Buffalo or Jacksonville lose or if Houston and Indianapolis draw. (If Jacksonville loses, Denver wins, and the Houston-Indy game ends in a non-tie, they will also earn a postseason berth.)
In light of that, Tomlin’s selection of the quarterback becomes crucial. And he’s made his call with the season at stake.
“We’re going to give the ball to Mason Rudolph,” the seasoned bench coach said.
There was a small amount more information beyond that remark.
“He’s done a good job, and we’ve done a good job in the most recent two weeks,” Tomlin stated. “He and I have both taken good care of the ball. We have scored points more quickly than we have this year up until this time. And we’re going to give the ball over to him due to the urgency of the situation and those reasons.”
Rudolph passed for 564 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in the last two games, which were against the Bengals and the Seahawks. Although those aren’t spectacular stats, the Steelers did win both games, and at this stage of the season, performance is the most important factor.
What Happened to Mitchell Trubisky?
If you think back to when Pickett first went down, Rudolph wasn’t the first option off the bench. In that case, Mitchell Trubisky stepped into the breach.
Why Isn’t Pickett Starting?
But wait, you may be thinking, what about Pickett’s ankle injury? Did that affect the Week 18 quarterback decision?
Not directly, if we take Pickett at his words.
When asked about the reports that he wouldn’t have dressed for the game versus Seattle if he wasn’t starting, quarterback Kenny Pickett clarified his availability this morning.
He claims to be the No. 2 against Baltimore.
In response to a speculation that he wouldn’t dress for the game against Seattle if he wasn’t going to start, he said, “There was no talk of me being a backup quarterback this week in terms of being a two.” “I was going to start and play if I felt well enough to play and the trainers and coaches thought I would look good enough to play. I refused to get dressed and suit up for the game if they thought I wasn’t who they thought I wasn’t. I’m the two now, this week. Four weeks after the surgery, they feel well enough for me to dress and be the two, so I’ll do what needs to be done to be ready to go for Baltimore.”
That answer, along with Tomlin’s perspective, does provide a very plausible picture of how the quarterback’s ankle injury prepared him for this weekend’s action without directly influencing the choice. In Week 17, Rudolph maintained his lead and Pickett was not prepared to go. There’s no need to alter now that he guided the Steelers to victory.
Is Pickett going to be added back into the starting lineup? Indeed, but it would take a glaring difference in skill to insert him back into the starting lineup. Furthermore, the Pitt product hasn’t proven enough in his career thus far to warrant that special attention.
Rudolph Now Has a Golden Opportunity
Recall how we introduced this article by talking about how everyone has played ball in the backyard while acting like they were making a clutch play? Rudolph now has the opportunity to realize that goal.
Since joining the Steelers in 2018, the quarterback has never started more than eight games in a season. He sustained injuries and moved up and down the depth chart, never quite taking the starting position by storm.
The 28-year-old is starting tonight, though, in a game that has the potential to advance the Steelers to the postseason. Even though a rivalry game is never easy to predict, taking on a Baltimore club that is resting guys seems like a great way to make a statement.
Would Rudolph become a long-term starter with a win? No, but it could help him make a few million more dollars as free agency approaches. If he stays in Steel City, perhaps a strong showing provides him an advantage over the other quarterbacks in the Pittsburgh race the following season. If nothing else, punching a postseason ticket would guarantee him a spot in Steelers supporters’ collective recollections.
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