Six misunderstandings arose after the Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 30-23.
The Steelers score thirty or more points in two straight games.
On Sunday, in Mason Rudolph’s second start of the season at quarterback, the Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 30-23. The victory ends 2023 on a positive note for Steelers Nation and maintains Pittsburgh’s chances of making the playoffs. After the victory, there are as always a ton of lessons to learn.
After their victory over Seattle, the Steelers have a 9-7 record. This means that, regardless of what happens against the Ravens in Week 18, Mike Tomlin’s run of consecutive winning seasons as head coach will continue. Despite the team’s current two-game winning streak, Tomlin has received his fair share of well-deserved criticism this season, most of which is still valid. However, I’m sick of hearing that streak always be brought up in a negative light when discussing Tomlin.
Tomlin’s Steelers teams have such a high ceiling that it’s ridiculous how many times they’ve appeared to completely implode over the past few seasons, but they’ve always managed to scrape back into playoff contention. Even the most frustrating Steelers seasons are underappreciated. I’m not saying that one statistic clears Tomlin of all criticism, as some in the national media seem to believe; rather, when evaluating him as a coach, his winning season streak is just as important as his playoff record.
The thought of athletes being sidelined by injuries bothers me. In a perfect world, Kenny Pickett would have had the entire 2023 season to himself in order to earn his first-round billing. However, there are instances when the solution is so clear-cut that delaying an inevitable choice makes no sense. While I wasn’t entirely in favor of letting Mason Rudolph start the remainder of the season last week, I am now.
In his first two starts, Rudolph has guided the Steelers to their two best offensive performances of the year, demonstrating that his triumph against the Bengals last week wasn’t a one-time occurrence. Furthermore, those starts haven’t merely improved slightly. They are far superior to anything the Steelers have to offer.
In back-to-back games, Rudolph led Pittsburgh to their only 30-plus point performances of the season. The offense has looked different under Pickett or Mitch Trubisky. Although Rudoph hasn’t exactly looked like the next Tom Brady, his play has shown the Steelers what kind of team they can have behind center. For the first time this season, the Pittsburgh offense has looked like an NFL offense.
Nor is this fan discourse. Just observe the plays the Steelers coaches have been calling with Rudolph at center to see how much they are aware of it. With third-string quarterback Rudolph starting, Pittsburgh is playing more aggressively and confidently than they did when Pickett, a franchise quarterback candidate in his second season, was starting. It is more clear why the Steelers should let go of Kenny Pickett due to Rudolph’s play than it is because of any poor performances from Pickett. It is quite evident. For the upcoming season, the Steelers must look for a new starting quarterback.
The Steelers’ offensive line, running back room, and tight ends showed up to play on Sunday, with some of the best effort I’ve seen all year. It was textbook tape for everything coaches repeat ad nauseam: playing to the whistle, keeping your legs churning, and so on. The entire team bought in as well, with a group mentality of repeatedly punching Seattle in the mouth. It worked, with Pittsburgh’s powerful run game bullying the Seahawk front all afternoon to the tune of 202 rushing yards. The effort helped control the clock, keep Pittsburgh’s thin defense rested, and take the pressure off of Mason Rudolph and the Steeler passing attack.
Kyle Brandt of Good Morning Football will have a tough time choosing his top “Angry Run” of Week 17 from the list of options the Steelers provided on Sunday. I mean, just look at these:
