The Pittsburgh Steelers kept their playoff dreams alive for one more week thanks to another convincing win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17. For the second straight game, Mason Rudolph led an offense that managed over 30 points while earning a passer rating of at least 112.0 in the win.
As we enter the final week of the season, all eyes were on Mike Tomlin and Kenny Pickett as they spoke to the media ahead of Pittsburgh's Week 18 contest against the Baltimore Ravens. The latest Steelers news involves perplexing comments from Kenny Pickett and the NFL's most controversial officiating crew.
Steelers news: Kenny Pickett's comments raise questions
While Rudolph has confidently led the Steelers to back-to-back wins that featured impressive offensive outings, Kenny Pickett is the biggest name in Pittsburgh's media cycle to begin Week 18. Pickett was outraged over reports that suggested that he refused to be the backup to Rudolph in Seattle on New Year's Eve.
Despite being medically cleared to suit up for this game, Pickett insisted that the training staff and medical team didn't think he was good enough to go as the starter. As a result, Pickett didn't suit up at all against the Seahawks.
On Tuesday, Pickett admitted to the media that he will be Rudolph's backup this week when the Steelers take on the Ravens in Baltimore. This is already being met with controversy, as Pickett claims he would be listed as the starting quarterback if he was healthy enough to go.
Fans are wondering why Pickett would be the primary backup QB this week if this is indeed the case, and some fans are wondering if this is Mike Tomlin's way of keeping Rudolph as the starter without embarrassing Kenny Pickett as he returns to full health. Pickett logged limited practice sessions in all three days last week and is expected to practice all week leading up to the Ravens game on Saturday.