3 reasons Steelers need to start Rudolph over Roethlisberger

Here are three reasons that the Steelers should roll with Rudolph over Roethlisberger this week

Ben Roethlisberger played arguably his worst game as a professional last week against the Bengals, as he struggled from the beginning to move the ball with his arm. While he played better in the second quarter, his poor play had already buried this team. With a vital game against the Colts upcoming, the Steelers need to find a way to win. Here are three reasons that the Steelers should roll with Mason Rudolph over Roethlisberger this week.

Important to note

Last week I had written that the Steelers should allow Rudolph to play the last two games in order to preserve Roethlisberger. This is no longer the case, as this offense is desperate for a new wrinkle, and they aren’t getting that from Roethlisberger. While a playoff spot is locked up, the team still needs one more win to claim the division. Right now, Rudolph may give the team the best bet to do that.

That said, this ideally wouldn’t be permanent. Unless Rudolph looks like a star, something that seems unlikely given his play from last year, Roethlisberger is the best long-term option this year at quarterback. These past four weeks have been some of the worst football of his career though, and he needs to get himself figured out. That could be healing from an injury or it could be getting his head on straight, but the team can’t continue to play him when he has been as bad as he has. That said, if the team has to rely on Rudolph for the rest of this year plus the playoffs, the Steelers will be in trouble.