Mason Rudolph Must Prove He's Turned a Corner Against Pesky Colts
By Scott Rogust
After an 0-3 start to the season and the loss of starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a season-ending elbow injury, the Pittsburgh Steelers have found new life.
Things were looking good once rookie Mason Rudolph took the helm, but struggled early on against the lowly Miami Dolphins this past Monday. However, he surged in the second half to give the Steelers the expected victory.
This week, Rudolph has a tough test ahead of him against the Indianapolis Colts. If he truly wants to prove he's turned a corner, he's going to have to ball out on Sunday. More importantly, he's got to show off the deep arm he had while playing at Oklahoma State, something NFL fans have yet to see.
PFF's latest NFL quarterback rankings
— PFF PIT Steelers (@PFF_Steelers) October 31, 2019
31. Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers
An area of strength in college that hasn’t yet translated at the next level, Rudolph has graded at just 55.5 on 10-plus yard throws.https://t.co/dAgoxzqqXH pic.twitter.com/ozRQxLiIja
Rudolph faces a Colts pass defense which ranks 15th in the league in terms of passing yards allowed per game (238.1). However, the Colts have shown they are resilient, as evidenced this past week in their come from behind victory against the Denver Broncos.
In order for the Steelers to win, Rudolph needs to start hot out the gate. Against the Dolphins, the second-year signal caller looked dreadful against a porous Dolphins defense. He couldn't hit wide open receivers 10 yards or more downfield, which resulted in the team facing an early 14-0 deficit. Rudolph was even booed by the Steelers faithful at Heinz Field.
Mason Rudolph on the early boos at Heinz Field:
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 29, 2019
“I would’ve booed that performance too. We were coming out slow. This is the Pittsburgh Steelers. There’s a standard here.”
Rudolph finished the night completing 20-of-36 pass attempts for 251 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. His second half performance was incredibly encouraging, but against a team like the Colts, he won't be able to rebound from a faulty first half like he did on Monday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to win these games in order to gain ground on the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens. Simply put, Mason Rudolph needs to show out against the gritty Indianapolis Colts.