Steelers fan chanting for Mason Rudolph is so damn sad

In less than a week, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ entire situation has collapsed. This was a team that was 7-4 going into Week 13, in command of their postseason fate, and looking like they were turning things around after firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada.

To say that Thursday Night Football was a disappointment would be a century-long understatement. With Kyler Murray back in the fold and the club regaining its footing, you could be able to defend the team’s defeat to the Cardinals in Week 13, but the Patriots at home is just unconscionable.

When you start begging for Mason Rudolph—or any third-string quarterback, for that matter—you know something is wrong. The Steelers may have reached their breaking point at this moment. On Thursday night, Mitch Trubisky was dreadfully ineffectual. Despite an astounding 35 pass attempts, he concluded with just 190 passing yards—a distasteful 5.4 yards per attempt.

In fact, George Pickens’ route tree was more like a person casually strolling around than that of an NFL receiver.

Following consecutive defeats to two of the most depressing teams in the NFL, the Steelers appear to be a completely lost franchise. Although they are 7-6 and still very much in the running for the playoffs, it doesn’t seem like they will have much of a chance in 2023. Pittsburgh’s season is about to come to an end as they take on the Colts, Bengals, Seahawks, and Ravens in a hard four-game stretch. If they can’t improve, all four games will probably finish in defeats. For the first time under Mike Tomlin’s leadership, this organisation feels aimless and lost. Although firing the head coach would be a grave error, frustration can lead to strange behaviours, such as supporting Mason Rudolph.