Mason Rudolph To Start Against Browns, Because Of Course
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin announced that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will sit out against the Cleveland Browns, opting for Mason Rudolph to start in place of him.
Tomlin has not indicated at this point if any other players will be held out of the game, but this puts the Browns and their playoff chances against Rudolph. Certainly, this would appear to enhance the Browns chances of winning the game, but it also revisits the matchup between defensive end Myles Garrett and Rudolph that resulted in a brawl, topped off by Garrett hitting Rudolph with his helmet, resulting in a six-game suspension.
Meanwhile, despite kicking Garrett in the groin and chasing after him, Rudolph received nothing but a fine, ignoring the overwhelming amount of responsibility he had in the incident. His postgame press conference, which shouldn't have happened at all was embarrassing as Rudolph insisted he did nothing wrong, despite all evidence to the contrary.
It seems unlikely this issue will come up again during the game, being a unique incident in the heat of the moment. That won't stop it from being drudged up and revisited for this matchup when the Browns would simply make the playoffs with a win over the Steelers, capturing a wildcard berth.
Unless the Browns meet the Steelers in the playoffs, they won't get to see Roethlisberger again until next season, which may well be his last. That is one player this group would like to defeat before he retires from the game, potentially escaping this new era of the Browns.
