CLEVELAND — The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense has undergone quite the transformation from a talent perspective over the last two seasons, some changes by choice and others out of necessity due to a season-ending injury to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Without the multi-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl-winning quarterback, the Steelers have turned over the offense to second-year quarterback Mason Rudolph, who has led the Steelers to a 5-2 record in seven starts since Roethlisberger’s injury.
“He’s handling everything like a true starter,” Browns cornerback T.J. Carrie said. “Seems like he’s been playing in this league for a very, very long time the way he’s commanding the offense and limiting the turnovers that they’re giving away. He does throw some great balls, he can make all the throws and he can put his offense in the best situations, so we have to try to frustrate him and flutter him a little bit to play to our advantage.”
Linebacker Joe Schobert added, “He does a good job, makes smart throws. When the deep shots are out there, the last couple weeks, he’s been getting it out there and making their receivers make plays. He has what? An 11-4 touchdown to interception ratio? You know he’s doing the right things in that aspect and he’s playing the right way.”
Rudolph has completed 109 of his 165 attempts (66.1 percent) for 1,088 yards and 10 touchdowns against four interceptions while taking only six sacks for 48 lost yards, which added up to a 94.7 quarterback rating in eight games.
“He’s willing to stay in that pocket, he trusts his offensive line and they do a really good job protecting him,” Carrie said. “You have to try to get him flustered. A guy like that, who’s willing to stay in the pocket, you have to try to get to him a couple times to then start making him think like, ‘Oh, okay, they’re coming, they’re coming,’ but if we can’t get to him from that standpoint, it’ll be rough. It’ll be rough.”
When Rudolph does not drop back to pass the football, he hands off to the very capable James Conner, who has rushed for 380 yards and four touchdowns on 97 carries while turning 29 receptions into 236 yards and two scores in limited action because of injury.
Conner is expected to be back for tonight’s game against the Browns.
“James Conner’s one of the best running backs in the National Football League,” Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said. “He’s physical, he’s tough, he’s hard to bring down and tackle, he’s good in space, and he catches the ball well out of the backfield, so I think he’s a good, all-around player and he’s tough to defend. He makes their offense kind of go because they want to start everything with the run game.”
Schobert added, “He’s a really good all-around back. He breaks a lot of tackles, has good contact balance. He’s not necessarily as shifty as some of the guys who use jukes all the time, but he can make people miss. He’s got good contact balance, so he’s spinning off tackles. If people aren’t wrapping up, he’s breaking tackles, getting down the field. He’s a physical runner and what you want in a back in the AFC North.”
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