The good, the bad and the ugly from the Steelers loss against the Seahawks

The Steelers find themselves in an 0-2 hole after losing the home opener to the Seattle Seahawks.  Can the Steelers right the ship with Mason Rudolph at the helm?

Losing the home opener is one thing; losing our franchise quarterback in the process is quite another thing.  While there were some rays of sunshine in the loss, there were also some dark and ominous clouds that loomed over the Steelers.  Let’s take a look the good, the bad and the ugly from the loss against the Seahawks.

Not only did we lose the game, but we also lost our franchise QB.  With the recent news that Ben will undergo season-ending surgery on his injured elbow, I’m sure we, as fans, will gravitate toward the ‘sky is falling’ outlook. However, I think we saw, and the Steelers saw a glimpse of what could be in the form on Mason Rudolph, one of our two third-round picks in the 2018 draft.

To me, Rudolph’s play represents some of the good facets of the game, even though the result was a loss.  His first throw was an interception, but it wasn’t on him.  The ball went through the hand of Donte Moncrief and was picked off by a good play on the part of the Seattle defender.

Ironically, Moncrief did not see the field again after the interception.  I don’t know if that was punitive or precautionary, but one of the Steelers significant free-agent acquisitions was relegated to the role of a spectator.  We will explore that a little later when we talk about the bad elements of the game.

Getting back to Rudolph, according to the official website of the NFL, he finished his day completing 12 of his 19 pass attempts for 122 yards with 2 TD passes.  What really impressed me was his poise in and out of the pocket.  He didn’t seem to be overwhelmed or ill-prepared.  Since Rudolph will be the Steelers QB for the remainder of the season, we will see first hand of what he is capable.  Let’s hope his play assuages our fears about losing Ben for the season.

Let’s continue to take a look at the good elements of the game.