Tomlin: Mason Rudolph Scheduled to Be Steelers' QB1 vs. Seahawks amid Pickett Injury

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed Mason Rudolph is "scheduled to be the quarterback this week" as the team prepares for a Week 17 clash with the Seattle Seahawks.

Tomlin hedged a bit with Kenny Pickett nearing his return from an ankle injury.

Rudolph made a compelling case to keep the starting job in a 34-11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. He went 17-of-27 for 290 yards and two touchdowns. The connection he had with George Pickens, who caught four passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns, was especially encouraging.

Plenty of fans will argue Tomlin should stick with the hot hand. It's not as though Pickett had built an unassailable lead in the quarterback room before his ankle injury, either. The 2022 first-round pick is averaging fewer passing yards (172.5 per game) and completing slightly fewer passes (62 percent) than he did as a rookie, and he ranks 24th in QBR (38.3).

The stakes couldn't be much higher in the final two weeks. At 8-7, Pittsburgh is ninth in the AFC but has the same record as the Indianapolis Colts, who occupy the final wild-card place.

Picking Rudolph over a healthy Pickett wouldn't exactly be a ringing endorsement of the latter and may lead to more questions about whether a significant change is required under center in 2024.

Tomlin and his staff can't be too fixated on the optics, though. In what's effectively a must-win situation, sticking with Rudolph might be a smarter call than leaning on a QB who will have missed three weeks.