BUFFALO (93.7 The Fan) – The emotions were still raw and you could see it on his face. The eyes were a bit watery and not just because of the cold in Buffalo. Mason Rudolph just ended the best run of his NFL career and he’s not sure what his future holds.
“None of us knows what is going to happen tomorrow, much less next year,” Rudolph said. “I’m still thinking about the game and the loss and it hurts and it stings. We probably could have done better today, the turnovers early, myself included, didn’t really give us the ability to put our best foot forward.”
Rudolph ended up 22 of 39 for 229 yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception Monday in the bitter cold at Highmark Stadium. He said as a group they needed to get off to a fast start and they didn’t. Rudolph said he knew being on the road you have to keep it close early and they didn’t.
Steelers turned it over twice in the first half, each leading to Bills touchdowns. One on a fumble by George Pickens that Josh Allen converted into a 29-yard touchdown in one play. The other was a pick of Rudolph by Kalir Elam in the end zone on a second-and-goal from the four-yard line. Allen marched Buffalo 80-yards, ending on a third-down, 52-yard touchdown run.
“It was a great play by the defender,” Rudolph said of the interception. “It was kind of a timing deal. He covered Diontae well out of the break. He was in his low hip. The leverage was a little off. I got to put that ball more outside, us or nobody. Like I said, he made a great play.”
It was a game-changer, Steelers had the chance to cut the lead in half, instead it turned into a 21-0 Buffalo win and while the Steelers got within seven with 10:32 left in the game, that really made it nearly impossible to come back from.
Yet there is a lot for Rudolph to be proud of, finally getting his shot again after two seasons of watching and waiting while working hard, Rudolph led the Steelers in the playoffs. He engineered wins over Cincinnati and at Seattle and Baltimore.
So, what are his thoughts of the season?
“When I go and look back at the totality of the tape, I’ll have a better feel for it,” Rudolph said about 15 minutes after the game. “Obviously, the plan was to come here and get a win and we fell short to a great team.”
“I can say I was proud of what the offense put on tape these last few weeks. The way we celebrated. The way guys cheered for each other. Whether the run game was working, whether the receivers were rolling. We had chemistry and believe and love for love for one another.”
He said every year there are always a lot of changes on NFL rosters. He becomes an unrestricted free agent. He was last year and didn’t have any good opportunities and returned to the Steelers. You would like teams would be interested after his three wins and when judging some of the other back-up quarterbacks in the league.
The Steelers may offer. They likely will go back to Kenny Pickett as the starter. Would he even want to return?
“I love the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Rudolph said. “They have been my only home for six years. We will see what happens. It’s not really my decision. A lot of it is out of my control, we will see what happens.”
For as few games as he played, he lived a life in six seasons with the Steelers. Most didn’t think he would return after 2022. We’ll see in the next two months about 2024.