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.
Injury concerns
This was mentioned earlier, but I don’t believe all of Roethlisberger’s woes are just because of his age. While he had his fair share of issues earlier in the season, his sudden drop off seems to be linked to an injury, and specifically one on his knee. This was apparent when he threw the late-game interception on a deep James Washington pass. Roethlisberger couldn’t step into the throw, which led to the pass being underthrown and easily picked off.
More than likely, that knee has been an issue during this cold streak and has further limited his ability to throw the ball. With the Steelers’ offense being centered on throwing the ball often, his regression likely due to injury makes this unit ineffective. If his knee is bothering him, resting it for a game could be huge. He needs to be able to step into his throws, as that is vital in throwing accurate passes in the NFL.
Likewise, if his knee is still bothering him, then his game likely won’t get any better until it is healed up and can step into his passes. Will his game be perfect? No, as he had struggled with the deep pass before his apparent injures became a factor. That said, he may be able to return to his pre-injury form, the one that was leading one of the better offenses in the league. Mix that in with this great defense, and it may be enough for this team to rebound. If an injury is any sort of a factor, the team needs to sit Roethlisberger and allow him to heal before relying on him at quarterback.
Bring back the deep ball
As stated before, Roethlisberger has struggled with the deep ball this season. This was apparent before his knee injury, as he was struggling with ball placement the further the pass was down the field. Since his injury, it has been even worse, as passes are constantly underthrown and inaccurate. With this offense becoming stale over the past couple of weeks, getting a quarterback that can make the deep pass would be a wise move.
All things considered; Rudolph isn’t a great deep passer. He has ok arm strength mixed in with ok accuracy, but at this point, his deep ball would be leaps and bounds better than Roethlisberger’s. In a game against the Colts that feature a good and physical secondary, mixing in a few deep passes to Washington, Chase Claypool, and even JuJu Smith-Schuster could set them off guard. As a result, more holes may open up on what is a pretty stout defense.
Again, Rudolph isn’t a great deep passer, but he would be a huge upgrade over Roethlisberger in that regard right now. Even if he misses most of them, having a quarterback make the defense respect the threat of a deep pass would allow this offense to move the ball better than they have. The Colts would have to at least respect the threat of a deep pass play. Defenses haven’t had to worry about that against the Steelers recently.
While the Steelers wouldn’t turn into a complete Air Raid offense due to inserting Rudolph in as the starter, it would at least allow for the offense to function as it should. Defenses would have to at least consider the potential of a deep pass even if it isn’t overly effective. The fact that Rudolph is healthy enough to add this wrinkle aids in his argument to start this week.
The offense suits him
Like it or not, the Steelers seem content to run the offense as they have all season despite the struggles they have encountered recently. Despite losing three straight games, this offense seems set to continue to rely on the short passing game with little aid from the running game and deep passing attack. With Roethlisberger, this offense hit a new low last week, but it could still function properly with Rudolph.
Last year, the Steelers attempted to run the ball after losing Roethlisberger for the season. Eventually, defenses stacked the box and forced the team to win through the air, something that they hadn’t planned on doing. This year, the offense functions with a quick and short passing game. This takes a good game manager to be effective, one that can make a quick read and get the ball out quickly. Based on the tape on Rudolph from last year, this offense could play into his strengths.
That isn’t to say he would look elite due to the system change, but it is very quarterback friendly. If Rudolph did start against the Colts, more than likely they would be expecting a heavy dose of the run game as was seen last year. If the offense came out firing as they have with short quick passes, it could further throw the Colts off balance.
The last thing the Steelers can do is trot out the exact same offense they have since they began to decline. Roethlisberger is extremely limited right now as a thrower, meaning that putting in the backup could allow for just enough change to keep this game within reach. If the Colts game plan for 2019 Rudolph (hand the ball off as much as he can) but the team comes out with quick passes, it could allow this offense to surge as it did earlier.
Let me make this clear once again: the Steelers shouldn’t rely on Rudolph in the long term, as it will likely lead to just as limited of an offense as we have seen in recent weeks. That said, using him for a short spell in order for Roethlisberger to get back on track could be just what the team needs. Him game managing the offense this week could be just enough to beat the Colts and win the division. It would give Roethlisberger the time to right himself before the playoffs as well. If Rudolph is ready, the Steelers would be wise to give him a look for this week to refresh this offense.