Rudolph hits Pickens for 2 long touchdowns, Steelers end 3-game skid with 34-11 win over Bengals
PITTSBURGH (AP) 无毛视频� Mason Rudolph isn无毛视频檛 afraid to admit his mind would drift toward the future as the seasons passed and he remained at the bottom of the Pittsburgh Steelers无毛视频� depth chart.
无毛视频淵ou have confidence in yourself as a player,无毛视频� the longtime backup quarterback said. 无毛视频淏ut I无毛视频檓 kinda thinking, 无毛视频楢m I going to jump into the commercial real estate realm next year or am I going to play quarterback?'无毛视频�
A job change may have to wait. There may be life in Rudolph无毛视频檚 NFL career 无毛视频� and in the Steelers无毛视频� unwieldy season.
Two-plus years after his last appearance in a regular-season game, Rudolph threw for 290 yards and two long touchdowns to embattled wide receiver George Pickens on Saturday as the Steelers gave their fading playoff hopes a jolt with a 34-11 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
With Kenny Pickett still recovering from right ankle surgery and with second-stringer Mitch Trubisky ineffective in two starts, Pittsburgh (8-7) turned to the third-longest tenured player on the roster. Rudolph responded by making the kind of big plays that have been lacking in the NFL无毛视频檚 28th-ranked offense for years as the Steelers snapped a three-game skid.
He hit Pickens for an 86-yard catch-and-run touchdown on Pittsburgh无毛视频檚 second offensive snap and lobbed a rainbow in the third quarter that Pickens turned into a 66-yard score as the Steelers posted their highest point total in a win since 2020.
无毛视频淚 felt like we were balanced and we were clicking,无毛视频� said Rudolph, who completed 17 of 27 passes for 290 yards.
That feeling has been rare for Pittsburgh even before Ben Roethlisberger无毛视频檚 retirement after the 2021 season. The Steelers have spent the last three years relying heavily on a defense that would find ways to win tight games, with the offense mostly along for the ride.
Rudolph spent the overwhelming majority of that time on the sideline with a headset on or a clipboard in his hand, feeling a bit like a 无毛视频渇reeloader.无毛视频� The 28-year-old knew opportunities to prove himself were running out, one of the reasons he couldn无毛视频檛 sleep before practice on Tuesday.
There was no sleepless night on Friday. Maybe because Rudolph felt prepared. He certainly looked that way while directing the Steelers to a 24-point halftime lead.
With his team无毛视频檚 season hanging in the balance and speculation mounting that his 17-year tenure may be drawing to a close, coach Mike Tomlin told his players 无毛视频渟cared money don无毛视频檛 make money.无毛视频�
Translation: Go out and let it rip.
The Steelers, for the first time in a long, long time, did just that, with the 22-year-old Pickens shrugging off criticism for his sometimes lackadaisical play by showcasing the game-breaking talent that Tomlin was so enamored with before the 2022 draft.
Pickens caught four passes for 195 yards 无毛视频� including a 44-yard sideline grab just before halftime that set up a field goal 无毛视频� and afterward apologized, sort of, for saying during the week that his critics were 无毛视频渕edia guys无毛视频� who never played the game. Yet he also said he was keeping 无毛视频渞eceipts无毛视频� and called the negativity that无毛视频檚 engulfed the Steelers so much 无毛视频渙utside noise.无毛视频�
无毛视频淧eople like to question (our commitment) a lot,无毛视频� Pickens said. 无毛视频淏ut that just shows you (who we are).无毛视频�
The path for Pittsburgh to reach the playoffs remains complicated 无毛视频� and who knows what will happen at Seattle next week, when Pickett could be ready to return from right ankle surgery 无毛视频� but the Steelers无毛视频� first sweep of the Bengals since 2019 made it a little more navigable.
Cincinnati (8-7) is still in the mix, too, but Jake Browning fell to 3-2 as a starter in place of the injured Joe Burrow. The longtime practice squad player threw for 335 yards and a touchdown but was also picked off three times, with all three turnovers leading to points the other way.
无毛视频淭his is a humbling league, this is a humbling day,无毛视频� Bengals coach Zac Taylor said.
Tee Higgins finished with five receptions for 140 yards and an 80-yard touchdown for Cincinnati, but the game effectively ended Rudolph went deep on third down to a streaking Pickens on the Steelers无毛视频� next possession. Pickens ran under it, then ran away from defenders to push the lead back to 23.
By the time the clock ran out, the crowd was singing 无毛视频淩udolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer无毛视频� and the quarterback who had been an afterthought for so long was searching the stands looking for his parents.
Who knows if he无毛视频檒l start next week. Tomlin said it无毛视频檚 too early to say. Rudolph has been through enough to know that there无毛视频檚 no point in getting ahead of himself. The player who remembers getting a treehouse as a Christmas present as a kid received a game ball from defensive tackle Cam Heyward in a jubilant and relieved locker room.
无毛视频淭his is pretty up there (too),无毛视频� he said with a laugh.
INJURIES
Steelers: LB Elandon Roberts exited early in the second quarter with a pectoral injury and did not return.
UP NEXT
Bengals: Visit Kansas City on Dec. 31, a place they无毛视频檝e become regulars in the playoffs over the last two seasons.
Steelers: Will try to win at Seattle for the second time in franchise history when they play the Seahawks on Dec. 31.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl