If Mason Rudolph ever reaches his goal of becoming a full-time full-back in the NFL, he will certainly face more chances than he did Sunday in Cleveland.
But that’s what Rudolph did during the high stakes moments in what was a low stakes game that is so encouraging for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rudolph was at his best during “possession downs” (as coach Mike Tomlin likes to call snaps from the third and fourth downs), and he excelled during the second half by going up a 2-point conversion before taking the Steelers back from a deficit of 15 points in a 24-22 loss to the Browns.
“I thought his performance was great throughout the game,” said center JC Hassenauer. “I was very proud of him, the way he stood out this week. He led our team. He set the pace. He was a leader. ”
At no time was Rudolph’s leadership more evident than in the high pressure situations of the third and fourth and long distance. In third or fourth snaps and 10 or more, Rudolph went 8 to 10 for 140 yards with two touchdowns.
One of those faults in the third to 10 was immediately followed by a 28 yard touchdown pass in the fourth and 10. Rudolph additionally completed a 26 yard pass in the third to 9 and a 9 yard pass in the third and 8.
“I think I did well today,” said Rudolph of his game in the third or fourth feature.
“I am very proud of the way those (receivers) played today for me (e) for our attack, and I have to make a better throw in the 2-point play to send us to the OT.”
Rudolph lost high to Chase Claypool in a 1-minute conversion pass, 26 seconds remaining was one of the few times he went off target in a clutch moment on Sunday.
Rudolph had a score of 97.7 and 9.0 yards per attempt in the second half and went from 7 to 14 with 125 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth period.
With the Steelers choosing to rest some veteran starters for being stuck in the second or third place in the playoffs, Rudolph started in the place of the QB franchise Ben Roethlisberger. At 38 and coming out of elbow surgery in 2020, Roethlisberger’s arm strength and ability (and / or will) to play on the field has been a point of discussion during the latter part of the Steelers’ season.
Roethlisberger is 31st in the NFL in yards per try at 6.3. Rudolph’s mark in that area against the Browns was 8.1, better than any of Roethlisberger’s 15 games this season. To put it in context, Patrick Mahomes has an average of 8.1 yards per attempt this season.
Overall, Rudolph completed 22 of 39 passes for 315 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He completed 47 and 41 yard passes for Diontae Johnson and a 41 yard pass for Claypool.
These three conclusions of 40 or more yards are a bit shy of what Roethlisberger has produced throughout the season.
“We tried to take as many pictures as we could,” said Rudolph.
Successes in the third down and deep shots limited something that has plagued the Steelers throughout the season: short strokes. Five of Sunday’s last six possessions produced points and reached more than 52 yards. The Steelers hit just three times, the lowest number in a game since October. The Steelers led the NFL in three and seven with 47, but only had one Sunday.
All under the guidance of Rudolph.
“I don’t know if I was surprised by this,” said Tomlin. “It was reasonable to expect an improvement in his game. This guy has been working really hard for 12 months.
“We predicted that he would be better, and he was.”
Chris Adamski is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Chris by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
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Sports | Steelers / NFL