Mason Rudolph’s fifth start was his first full NFL game without throwing two touchdowns, as he completed 26 passes on 35 attempts for 191 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the Steelers’ 26-24 win over the Colts.
I’ve written plenty about his development this season and the aspects of his game that he’s improved and needs to continue developing. He’s still working through several aspects of his game, so let’s take a closer look at that development and where the Steelers can make his life easier:
Rudolph came out in his first drive looking sharp. He targeted several passes downfield and was throwing confidently into the available passing windows like a veteran quarterback who was comfortable in his offense. But momentum is vital for a young quarterback, and that momentum was cut by JuJu Smith-Schuster’s drop that led to an interception.
But what was most impressive about Rudolph’s start was how he targeted passes into tighter windows downfield. Watch this third down conversion to James Washington. The cornerback doesn’t give Washington a ton of room, but the hook pattern was enough to give Rudolph an NFL-standard chance to complete the pass. He delivered a good ball and Washington made a spectacular grab:
But Washington’s most impressive catch came in the second quarter on a one-handed reception. It also represented how this receiving corps must pick up their young quarterback at times. Rudolph’s footwork and throwing motion are still developing, which means his accuracy won’t always put the ball in the best spot of a tight passing window.
Washington’s grab reinforces Rudolph’s confidence to make these throws, even when he might miss:
But as Mike Tomlin alluded to in Hunter Homistek’s piece on Rudolph, the young quarterback still has to help himself. There are plenty of times he throws a check-down pass when there are better opportunities on the field. One example was this third down conversion to Jaylen Samuels. It’s a good read and keeps the drive alive.
But Rudolph misses a huge opportunity to score against a Cover 2 defense. Look at the deep safeties and how far apart they are, then look at Washington’s post pattern and how open he gets. If Rudolph isn’t stuck on Samuels, he could make an easy throw that puts a touchdown on the board:
This isn’t a play that should discourage Rudolph because he does make a good play, but it should be something he sees in film study as a reminder that there are opportunities schemed by Randy Fichtner to give him chances at big plays.
Another example that resulted in Rudolph’s biggest play of the game was Washington’s 40-yard reception in the fourth quarter. The Colts started by showing two high safeties but bumped one safety to the box to leave Clayton Geathers as the lone high safety.
The Steelers run Smith-Schuster on a deep corner pattern to Rudolph’s left while Washington runs a go pattern to his right. This forces Geathers to make a decision on who he covers. Naturally he would be more inclined to cover the Steelers’ top receiver, Smith-Schuster. But look closely at how Rudolph’s head is looking at Smith-Schuster right after the snap.
That sells Geathers even more to Rudolph's left, allowing more space for Washington to come down with the deep ball. The pass is a bit under thrown, but because of the attention on Smith-Schuster, Washington only has to compete with one defensive back for the jump-ball:
Rudolph is responsible for his own development and making better decisions with the football. But the reality is his development will take time. If the Steelers want the offense to put up touchdowns, there has to be contributions from the team that help prop him up in those tough moments.
The important factor will be finding that balance between Rudolph’s limitations as a young quarterback and the realistic expectations that game-planning and amazing catches can only go so far in helping him. It won’t excuse his overlooking open receivers and not taking shots when necessary, but it’s a reminder that the offense has to extend itself further than it has in years to support their starting quarterback.
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