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The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 season begins after last year’s team finished over .500 but failed to make the postseason, and we look forward to the next chapter of Steelers football and everything that comes with it. I’ll pay attention to that. One thing that means is that some stock valuations will start to have more context as we enter the season, reflecting more immediate positives and negatives rather than long-term trends. is. The nature of evaluation, whether short-term or long-term, is discussed in the Reasoning section below.
Player: QB Mason Rudolph
Stock price: rise
inference: With another strong start from the nominal “third-team” quarterback, the Steelers will be in contention for a playoff spot in Week 18. And it seems certain that he will start in the final game that will determine whether he makes it to the postseason. And maybe even a chance to play in a postseason game.
Of course, it would have to be Mason Rudolph to restart the week. Although he himself did not find the end zone and benefited greatly from a very strong running game, the veteran quarterback defended himself and made the plays needed to be made.
Of the Steelers’ 468 yards of net offense, 266 came through the air. Rudolph finished the game completing 18 of 24 passes for 274 yards. He had as many interceptions and fumbles as touchdowns, and zero. But of the eight competitive drives he wrote, six led to points, three of which were rushing touchdowns, two by Najee Harris and one by Jalen Warren.
Simply put, he gave the Steelers what they needed, when they needed it. And he made key throws when called upon. He’s still averaging 11.4 yards per pass attempt on some explosive passing plays, which is actually more than last week. The longest run was a 42-yard catch-and-run to WR Diontae Johnson, but again, WR George Pickens had multiple completions for 37 yards. He also completed a 25-yard pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth.
Oddly, he only targeted four players the entire game, the other one being Warren, but they were his top targets all season. He targeted seven different players a week earlier, including WRs Allen Robinson II, Miles Boykin, Calvin Austin III, and TE Darnell Washington (Fliermuth was not targeted). ).
The Steelers have scored 30 points in consecutive weeks for the first time since the first half of the 2020 season. Overall, Rudolph’s offense simply looked purposeful and efficient, but again a lot of credit must go to the offensive line and running backs.
Najee Harris and Warren combined for 197 rushing yards on 40 attempts, including three touchdowns. The line was successful in not only blocking runs, but also defending him, earning just one sack for the second straight week.
While he was in the game, he had a strong supporting cast, don’t get me wrong about that. But he has taken advantage of the opportunity. I bet he wants to return a lower percentage of pitches than Kenny Pickett or Mitch Trubisky, that’s for sure.
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