Titans' Mason Rudolph: Wins after replacing injured Levis
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Rudolph completed nine of 17 passes for 85 yards, without a touchdown or interception, after replacing an injured Will Levis (shoulder) in the first quarter of Monday's 31-12 win over the Dolphins.
Rudolph's turnover-free football was a breath of fresh air as the Titans rode their defense and running game to their first win of the season. Coach Brian Callahan said after the game that the decision to ride Rudolph was purely injury-related, per Turron Davenport of ESPN.com. With a Week 5 bye to recover, Levis likely will reclaim the starting job Week 6 against the Colts. Levis threw his sixth interception of the season prior to getting hurt, so his leash may be getting shorter, though Rudolph didn't exactly light it up Monday.
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Titans' Mason Rudolph: Becomes lock for No. 2 gig
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Rudolph looks cemented as the Titans' top backup to Will Levis following the team's trade of Malik Willis to the Packers on Monday, Grant Gordon of NFL.com reports.
Rudolph inked with Tennessee back in March and has looked consistent throughout training camp and the preseason, and the Titans' coaching staff has clearly seen enough to prefer him over Willis as the No. 2 option behind Levis. Across four starts with the Steelers last season, including one playoff game against Buffalo, Rudolph threw for 945 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. Rudolph doesn't figure to see much action this season, barring an injury to Levis, but if he does have to take the field he should be able to steadily pilot Tennessee's offense.
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Titans' Mason Rudolph: Looks good against Seahawks
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Rudolph completed 10 of 17 passes for 125 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in Saturday's 16-15 preseason win over the Seahawks. He added four rushes for 15 yards.
Rudolph entered the game after Malik Willis, with his first drive coming with five minutes left in the second quarter. He immediately led a touchdown march, during which he went 3-for-4 for 40 yards. Rudolph and Willis are competing for the backup job, though the former appears to be the favorite for the role to begin the regular season.
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Titans' Mason Rudolph: Listed as backup
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Rudolph is listed ahead of Malik Willis on the Titans' first unofficial depth chart, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Rudolph reportedly split reps evenly with Willis to begin training camp but has since begun to separate himself as the winner of the backup quarterback competition in Tennessee. Wyatt reports that Rudolph has completed 84.2 percent of his pass attempts in camp.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph: Named starter for wild-card round
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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed Tuesday that Rudolph will remain the team's starting quarterback for Sunday's wild-card game in Buffalo, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.
Tomlin said he's "staying with the hot hand" after Rudolph helped lead Pittsburgh to three consecutive victories to close out the regular season and clinch a postseason berth. The fifth-year quarterback was supremely efficient in the three starts, completing 53 of 71 passes (74.6 percent) for 716 yards (10.1 per attempt) and three touchdowns while committing just one turnover (a lost fumble). Though 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett appears to have fully healed from his right high-ankle sprain, his uninspiring numbers as the team's starter earlier in the campaign along with Rudolph's tremendous success to close out of the regular season made it an easy decision for Tomlin to stick with the latter.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph: Wins with conservative gameplan
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Rudolph completed 18 of 20 passes for 152 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in Saturday's 17-10 win over the Ravens. He also lost a fumble.
Rudolph and the Steelers were playing in rainy conditions in Baltimore, which led to a conservative offensive gameplan. As accurate as he was, his game was fairly unremarkable except for a 71-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson -- a play that put Pittsburgh ahead for good. The Steelers still need additional help to reach the postseason, but Rudolph posted a 3-0 record as a starter to close the regular season, which should also boost his outlook for the 2024 season and beyond.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph: Week 18 Waiver Priority List
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Rudolph will start his third game in a row for the Steelers, and the Ravens should bench most of their starters in Week 18 with the No. 1 seed in the AFC locked up. Rudolph has passed for 564 yards in his past two games, and he's doing a great job connecting with George Pickens. The only drawback for Rudolph this week could be Pittsburgh leaning on Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren like what happened in Week 17 at Seattle when Rudolph was 18-of-24 passing for 274 yards and no touchdowns. Still, in any Superflex or two-quarterback final, Rudolph is a great sleeper.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph: Slated for another start
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Rudolph is set to start Saturday's game against the Ravens, Missi Matthews of the Steelers' official site reports.
Per Dale Lolley of the team's official site, coach Mike Tomlin noted that the availability of Kenny Pickett "is less in question this week," but he also revealed that Rudolph is in line to start a third consecutive game. Rudolph more than held his own over the last two weeks, and he'll face a Baltimore squad Week 18 that could elect to rest some starters after having clinched the AFC's No. 1 seed.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph: Another strong performance
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Rudolph completed 18 of 24 passes for 274 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's 30-23 win over the Seahawks.
Rudolph drew his second consecutive start for the Steelers, and he's now been victorious on both occasions. The team relied heavily on its rushing attack, but Rudolph managed to make plays when called upon, highlighted by several long completions to George Pickens as well as a 42-yard connection to Diontae Johnson that led to a go-ahead touchdown for Pittsburgh late in the third quarter. Kenny Pickett (ankle) continues to recover, though it's hard to see the team turning away from Rudolph and the success he's had across the last two weeks heading into a pivotal Week 18 matchup against Baltimore.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph: Set to start again Sunday
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Rudolph is slated to start Sunday's game against the Seahawks, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com report.
Rudolph, who completed 17 of his 27 passing attempts for 290 yards and two touchdowns while rushing twice for four yards in the Steelers' 34-11 win over the Bengals in Week 16, thus is slated to make his second consecutive start with Kenny Pickett dealing with an ankle issue. In that context, Rudolph represents a fantasy lineup option for those who roster Pickett or otherwise are in need of QB help in Week 17.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph: Week 17 Waiver Priority List
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Rudolph will hopefully start for the Steelers in Week 17 at Seattle, but we'll see what Pittsburgh does with Kenny Pickett (ankle) if he's able to play. Rudolph started his first game of the season in Week 16 against Cincinnati and scored 24 Fantasy points. That was an easier matchup at home compared to going on the road to Seattle, but the Seahawks have allowed three of the past four quarterbacks to score at least 21.9 Fantasy points. However, those three quarterbacks who excelled were Dak Prescott, Brock Purdy and Jalen Hurts. Still, if Rudolph does start again for Pittsburgh, he's worth using as a low-end starter in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph: Two TDs, win in first start of 2023
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Rudolph completed 17 of 27 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns while rushing twice for four yards in Saturday's 34-11 win over the Bengals.
Rudolph's first start of the season got off to an ideal start, as his first throw was an 86-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens. He led a touchdown drive on the next possession as well, which Calvin Austin capped with a seven-yard touchdown run, and Rudolph ultimately racked up 193 passing yards in the first half while leading the Steelers to a 24-0 lead. Pittsburgh's offense largely cooled down after halftime, though Rudolph helped the Steelers pull away with a 66-yard touchdown pass to Pickens in the third quarter. Given how effective Rudolph looked in his first start since Week 10 of the 2021 season, he could be in contention to remain under center even if Kenny Pickett (ankle) is healthy enough to return in Week 17 against the Seahawks.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph: Set to start Saturday
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Rudolph will start at quarterback Saturday against the Bengals, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin officially ruled out Kenny Pickett (ankle) for Week 16, paving the way for Rudolph to make his first start in nearly two seasons. While Pickett was sidelined for both of the previous two games while recovering from a right ankle procedure, Mitch Trubisky had stepped in as the starter for both contests, but he completed 38 of 58 passes for 6.2 yards per attempt and a 2:3 TD:INT before being benched for Rudolph late in this past Saturday's 30-13 loss to the Colts. Trubisky will serve as the Steelers' No. 2 signal-caller this Saturday behind Rudolph, who could be an option for managers in leagues that start two quarterbacks or are able to use a QB in a flex spot.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph: Trending towards Week 16 start
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Coach Mike Tomlin said Monday that the Steelers are currently planning for Rudolph to start Saturday's divisional matchup against the Bengals, though Kenny Pickett (ankle) hasn't been ruled out, Teresa Varley of the team's official site reports.
Rudolph has surpassed Mitch Trubisky, whom he took over for in the fourth quarter of Saturday's loss to the Colts, on Pittsburgh's depth chart. Still, the team reportedly is holding out hope for the chance that Pickett could prove healthy enough to return to the lineup. In limited action versus Indianapolis, Rudolph completed two of three passes for three yards.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph: Enters Saturday's loss in relief
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Rudolph completed two of three passes for three yards in Saturday's 30-13 loss to the Colts.
Rudolph entered the game late in the fourth quarter in relief of Mitch Trubisky, so there's little to take away from his performance. However, coach Mike Tomlin declined to name a starting quarterback for a Week 16 matchup against the Bengals, per Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com. If Kenny Pickett (ankle) is unable to return, Rudolph could draw his first start of the campaign for Pittsburgh's final run at making the postseason.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph: Active for TNF
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Rudolph is active for the Steelers' matchup with the Patriots on Thursday Night Football, Teresa Varley of the team's official website reports.
Rudolph has operated as the team's emergency quarterback a few times this season, but with Kenny Pickett (ankle) unavailable for Week 14, Rudolph will be Pittsburgh's backup behind Mitch Trubisky. The quarterback hasn't appeared in a game since the 2021 campaign.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph: Will serve as No. 3 QB
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Rudolph (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against San Francisco, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky were competing for the team's backup role behind Kenny Pickett this offseason, and it seems that Trubisky has won the job for now. Rudolph's next chance to be active on game day will come in Week 2 against Cleveland.
Rudolph completed three of seven pass attempts for 15 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing twice for three yards during Thursday's 24-0 preseason win over Atlanta.
Rudolph was efficient during the Steelers' first two preseason games but took a step back Thursday, while Mitch Trubisky was productive for a second consecutive matchup. Trubisky is likely the favorite to serve as the No. 2 quarterback in Pittsburgh now that the preseason has concluded, but Rudolph could still be in the mix to make the 53-man roster if the team keeps three quarterbacks heading into the regular season.
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Mason Rudolph: Visiting with Pittsburgh
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Rudolph is visiting the Steelers on Tuesday and could be re-signed, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
The Steelers selected Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 Draft, and he appeared in 17 games over his first three seasons, completing 61.5 percent of his passes for 2,366 yards and a 16:11 TD:INT. The 27-year-old spent the 2022 campaign as Pittsburgh's No. 3 QB and dressed for one game but didn't record any snaps. If he re-signs, Rudolph figures to compete with undrafted rookie Tanner Morgan for a similar role behind Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph: Chance to start in Week 15
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Coach Mike Tomlin said Friday that he'll wait until Saturday to make a decision between Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky to replace Kenny Pickett (doubtful - concussion) as the starting quarterback for Sunday's game at Carolina, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Pickett entered the concussion protocol during last Sunday's 16-14 loss to the Ravens and hasn't logged more than a limited practice this week. With the rookie signal-caller likely to be inactive this weekend, Rudolph is poised to be active himself for the first time this season. Rudolph and Trubisky split first-team reps Wednesday through Friday, so Tomlin has all the intel he needs to make a call between the two. If Rudolph ends up being the starter Sunday, he'll bring career marks of 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and 6.2 yards per attempt in 17 appearances (10 starts) since he was selected by Pittsburgh in the third round of the 2017 draft.