Steelers continue to support Rudolph’s “hot hand”
Before the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Buffalo (11-6), the AFC East champion, on Sunday, coach Mike Tomlin stated he will not be parting ways with the former third-string quarterback.
Since replacing an unproductive Mitch Trubisky prior to a game against Cincinnati on December 23, Rudolph is 3-0 as a starter. Even though Pittsburgh’s offence has developed a rhythm under Rudolph, Tomlin doesn’t want to take a chance on upsetting it, even though starting Kenny Pickett has fully healed from surgery on his right ankle in early December.
Since Rudolph took over, the Steelers (10-7) have averaged 27 points, which is ten points higher than they had been averaging during a season that was at times difficult and featured a 1-4 run from mid-November to mid-December that caused Pittsburgh to fall out of postseason contention. One of the league’s most surprising success stories emerged from the decision to go to Rudolph, who had been sitting towards the bottom of the depth chart for the previous two seasons, in an attempt to find a “spark.”As the Steelers defeated the Bengals, Seattle, and Baltimore, Rudolph passed for 719 yards and three touchdowns without giving up an interception. Pittsburgh managed to sneak past multiple opponents to make the playoffs for the eleventh time in Tomlin’s 17-year career.
Tomlin stated on Tuesday, “We’re just not going to upset the apple cart—we’re just sticking with the hot hand.” “We’ve encountered some challenging situations. We have delivered, and he has delivered
Since taking over as the starting quarterback, Rudolph has had a quarterback rating of 112 or higher. Last Saturday, in a pouring rain in Baltimore, he skillfully navigated the weather, completing 90 percent (18 of 20) of his passes and finding Diontae Johnson for a game-winning 71-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
