Steelers' Mason Rudolph to start again if Kenny Pickett still out - ESPN

PITTSBURGH — Quarterback Mason Rudolph already saved the Pittsburgh Steelers' Christmas with a win against the Cincinnati Bengals, and now he'll likely have the opportunity to bring his team a shiny start to the New Year, too.

Though coach Mike Tomlin stopped short of naming Rudolph the starter against the Seattle Seahawks on New Year's Eve, he said Rudolph will start the week with the ball as Kenny Pickett continues to rehab following his Dec. 4 TightRope ankle surgery.

«We're in the same position with Kenny as we were last week,» Tomlin said Tuesday. «We'll give him a few reps and see where that leads us.… Obviously we have a great deal more comfort because of what we've seen in-stadium for Mason Rudolph and that helps us, but we still really are in the same posture. He's got the ball to start the week, and we'll see where Kenny is from a mobility perspective and then kind of go from there and playing day by day based on the things that we see from that perspective.»

Rudolph took all the first-team reps in practice in preparation for the Bengals, while Pickett participated in individual drills throughout the week before being ruled out following the final practice.

Rudolph started on Saturday and led the Steelers' offense on six scoring drives, putting up 34 points — the most points scored by the team since 2021. Rudolph completed 17 of 27 attempts for 290 yards with two passing touchdowns. No other Steelers quarterback has thrown for more than 278 yards this season.

With Rudolph at quarterback, the Steelers also had three plays of at least 40 yards — all on George Pickens receptions — the most 40-yard plays for them in a game since Week 17 of the 2020 season.

«They stepped up big in a big moment,» Tomlin said of his