Ravens Face Steelers, Mason Rudolph in Week 18
The Baltimore Ravens haven't made a plan about their quarterback for Saturday's regular-season finale but their opponent firmly did so as this week's prep opened.
Needing a win and the kindness of strangers to steal an improbable playoff berth, the Pittsburgh Steelers have turned the reins of their offense over to Mason Rudolph, even with 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett healthy and able to return from a four-game absence. Pittsburgh opens Week 18 play against the Ravens on Saturday needing a win before pulling for a loss from either Jacksonville or Buffalo on Sunday.
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"(Rudolph's) done a good job, and we’ve done a good job in the most recent two weeks,” Tomlin said this week, via TribLive.com. “We’ve taken care of the ball, he’s taken care of the ball. We’ve scored points at a rate at which we hadn’t done to this point this year and with the urgency of the moment and because of those reasons, we’re going to leave the ball in his hands.”
Pickett suffered an ankle injury in a Dec. 3 loss to Arizona and has been replaced by Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky. Rudolph, the Steelers' long-tenured backup, has reawakened the team's playoff case with a 118.4 passer rating over the last two games. In those wins over Cincinnati and Seattle, the Steelers set season-highs in both scoring and yardage.
Rudolph has made one start against Baltimore to date, throwing for 131 yards and a score in a 26-23 loss in October 2019. He was forced to leave the game early after falling victim to a big hit from Earl Thomas, one that placed him in concussion protocol.
Pickett struggled in the first matchup against the Ravens in October though he was able to muster a late comeback in the fourth quarter.
Time will tell how the Ravens opt to approach Saturday's game. Baltimore secured top-seed honors in the AFC with a 56-19 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. It stands to reason that they could rest their starters but recent playoff pratfalls from first-round bye holders ... such as the Ravens' shocking loss to Tennessee in 2020 ... could inspire them to keep their primary men on the field.
