The Steelers head into today’s game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field with an answer to what the question of the week was.
Quarterback Mason Rudolph will start in place of Aaron Rodgers, who is inactive today. Rookie quarterback Will Howard is active today for the first time in his young career.
Rodgers suffered a broken bone in his left wrist in the first half of last week’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals and was replaced after halftime by Rudolph.
He was listed as questionable by Coach Mike Tomlin on Friday after being a limited participant in practice on Thursday and Friday. On Sunday, during an interview with CBS Sports Evan Washburn, Tomlin made it official.
“I’ll provide you with complete clarity,” said Tomlin. “He’s not going to play today. He fought his tail off all week, but that’s the prudent play for us to make as a collective. So, he won’t be playing this week. We’ll let Mason start, and obviously he’s absorbed most of the reps this week.”
Rudolph has appeared in three games this season, completing 14 of 18 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown, most of this action in the second half of last week’s game against the Bengals.
Rudolph prepared all week in case he was called upon, with Rodgers missing practice on Wednesday and limited Thursday and Friday.
“My mindset is to be ready if I need to play,” said Rudolph earlier in the week. “I think I’ve got a lot of different experiences to draw from. Whether you find out the day before the game, or you’re thrown into the game in the first quarter, second half, or you get the whole week of reps. So, you definitely draw from those experiences.”
Tomlin shared his thoughts on Rudolph with Bob Labriola on steelers.com, saying confidence is a big thing and it’s something Rudolph has.
“It certainly can be developed, but it’s also something that’s innate, something that you’ve got to have. And he certainly has it,” said Tomlin. “And he has an unwavering belief in self. I’ve been around him a number of years. Very rarely do we see him shaken or lacking in confidence, and that’s certainly a good skill set to have under those circumstances.
“To me, confidence is the most significant thing. Certainly, he’s a sharp guy, and he works with extreme urgency day-to-day. And I think that positions him for performance when he’s maybe not getting a lot of significant reps. And so, when you have a certain level of maturity, you’re a smart enough guy that you can learn from watching others, or learn from a minimal number of snaps, I think those are the tangible things that potentially elevates performance under those circumstances. But I’ll take the intangible things over the tangible things 100 percent of the time – a guy who doesn’t blink, a guy who’s capable of instilling confidence in others, a guy who has belief in self. And he checks those boxes.”
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said dealing with the uncertain situation this week at the quarterback spot is nothing unusual in the NFL.
“I think it’s just like any situation. I’ve been in these a few times, and that’s why you always have to have contingency plans,” said Smith. “It’s my job to be ready either way.
“I give Mason a lot of credit. People talk about being a pro, but that’s a sign of a real pro because Mason does a good job preparing every week. You’re always one play away. You always hear these hypotheticals. He was ready to roll and did a really nice job.”
Linebacker Alex Highsmith, who missed the Bengals game with a pectoral injury, was listed as doubtful and is inactive.
“It’s frustrating,” said Highsmith. “I do a lot for my body. I do a lot to make sure I’m prepared for the game, to make sure I don’t get hurt. It’s just trusting the Lord’s plan. I am trying to be the best teammate, dominate rehab the best I can and dominate what I can control.
“I am antsy to get back on the field.”
With Highsmith out, look for increased playing time for rookie outside linebacker Jack Sawyer.
“The more you give him, the better he performs,” said linebacker T.J. Watt. “And that’s kind of life in the National Football League as he sees more action, gets used to the speed.
“He’s a heck of a player. He’s getting better very, very quickly.
“I think it’s a matter of finding those opportunities when you can really go on, when you have to play truly gap sound football. And I think he’s finding that line of when you can take those chances, when not to. We have a great group of guys who have been in all different levels of their career, and he’s been great at soaking up as much information as possible.”
Cornerback Darius Slay was cleared from the concussion protocol this week and after being questionable for the game on Friday, he was taken off the status report and is expected to play today.
Tomlin said during his press conference on Tuesday if Slay is available, he will start.
Even with Slay back, cornerback James Pierre is still expected to see playing time.
“I think obviously J.P. has done a heck of a job when he’s stepped in for Slay,” said defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. “He’s been around. He’s done that before. But I think, again, when you have Slay, we have some veteran experience.
“I think what we’ll do is we’ll see how that works out, and in terms of where we want to utilize J.P. because I think he’s earned the right to be on the field, and we’ll just go from there.
“It’s not surprising. The way James worked, he’s always been that way. If you guys remember, he was a COVID baby. We didn’t see James until he got here during the COVID year at camp, and all he did when he got here was he just made a play daily in camp and then we kept him and he was one of the few guys as a free agent that made a roster that year.
“So, the way he’s worked and prepared himself, I think each year he’s gotten better. So that’s why in his sixth or seventh year he’s playing a lot better in terms of when he does get an opportunity, and I think a lot of that is time on task and the way the guy works and the way he prepares, and that’s why he’s having some success.”
The full list of inactives is below.
