Steelers vs. Ravens: 4 exciting storylines to track in a must-win game for Pittsburgh

Mason Rudolph tries to 'three-peat'

It's not often that you see a third-string quarterback step onto the field late in the year and lead a team to some of the best offensive performances they have seen in years. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with a single example of this. However, that's exactly what Mason Rudolph has done.

Following the firing of Matt Canada, Kenny Pickett led the Steelers to 400 yards of offense for the first time since Week 2 of 2020. Somehow, this resulted in just 16 offensive points for Pittsburgh. Pickett was injured during the following game against the Cardinals, and Mitch Trubisky failed to muster up any sort of offense. That's when Mike Tomlin turned to Rudolph.

Over the past two games, the Steelers have racked up monstrous performances on offense and have averaged over 400 yards of offense collectively. Both of these wins by a Rudolph-led offense came on the road in do-or-die scenarios with the 2023 season on the line.

Mason Rudolph has already crushed expectations as the third-string quarterback, but he will have a chance to 'three-peat' this week and put together an outstanding performance for his third straight game. If he does, you can bet that Tomlin will continue to roll with the hot hand into the playoffs -- assuming Pittsburgh gets the outside help they need to enter the tournament.