Struggling Steelers make another QB change for Week 15 vs. Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers are making another quarterback change, just in time for Christmas week.

Mason Rudolph will be the starting quarterback for the Week 16 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, coach Mike Tomlin announced Monday. However, Rudolph’s start is assuming Kenny Pickett won’t return from injury this week.

‘As I stand here today, Mason Rudolph is the guy with the ball,’ Tomlin said.

Rudolph will replace Mitch Trubisky, who started the past two games for Pittsburgh after Pickett was injured with a high ankle sprain that required surgery. The Steelers haven’t looked like a team that was in position for a playoff spot since then, as they are on a three-game losing streak and are now outside of the AFC playoff picture.

Trubisky struggled against the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts in the past two weeks, as Rudolph came in relief for Trubisky in the fourth quarter of the 30-13 loss in Indianapolis on Saturday.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Even with the announcement of Rudolph taking over the starting duties this week, Tomlin said the team is leaving the door open for Pickett to possibly return this week. The team had optimism when the injury occurred the 2022 first-round draft pick could return this season for a late season playoff push.

Mason Rudolph NFL career

The third-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft has spent his entire career in Pittsburgh, and Saturday’s game against Cincinnati will be the first game Rudolph has started since November 2021. Since then, he’s only played in two regular-season games, including the relief appearance Saturday.

Rudolph has started 10 games in his NFL career, eight of which came during the 2019 season when he filled in for an injured Ben Roethlisberger. In his career, Rudolph has thrown for 2,369 yards in 18 games with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.