HEADLINE

Steelers’ Rudolph set for first start at San Francisco

Field Level Media

September 19, 2019 at 5:05 am.

After his first NFL game experience last week in a 28-26 loss to Seattle, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph was asked how he would cope if veteran Ben Roethlisberger remained sidelined due to a right elbow injury.

“I am completely confident in myself, being a leader of a team, and playing games,” Rudolph said. “That’s what it all comes down to. If he’s out a while, I’m ready to roll.”

Well, Rudolph will have no choice but to be ready to roll, starting with Sunday’s trip to the San Francisco 49ers. Roethlisberger’s injury is indeed a season-ender, and Rudolph will make his first career start in a game Pittsburgh needs in the worst way.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Rudolph played decently against the Seahawks, hitting 12 of 19 passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns with one interceptions. Rudolph posted a 92.4 passer rating, and NFL Network’s Deion Sanders observed during a Sunday night highlights package that the offense appeared to run better under Rudolph.

If the 0-2 Steelers are to turn around their early-season fortunes, Rudolph will have to continue to make their retooled offense run better. And he’ll have to do it against an opponent that has been one of the NFL’s biggest surprises.

San Francisco is off to a 2-0 start and has outscored its opponents 72-34. Granted, playing Tampa Bay and Cincinnati isn’t exactly the toughest start to a season, but the 49ers still beat both decisively on the road.

Making the wins even more notable was that San Francisco won in different manners. After using two interception returns for touchdowns to defeat the Buccaneers 31-17, the 49ers exploded offensively in Cincinnati, rolling up 571 total yards.

That was the sixth-highest single game total in franchise history. From 296 passing yards by Jimmy Garoppolo to 121 rushing yards by Matt Breida, the 49ers exhibited the kind of balance that makes any offense click.

“It seemed like for a while we didn’t have to call a third-down play … and that’s the goal,” San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said. “When you get to third down, everyone in the league is pretty one-dimensional, and when you’re getting good plays on first and second down, it opens up everything.”

The only negative out of that outburst for the 49ers was losing left tackle Joe Staley to a fractured fibula, although the team believes he could return in eight weeks. Rookie sixth-round pick Justin Skule is expected to start in Staley’s place against Pittsburgh.

A product of Vanderbilt, Skule got 19 snaps in second-half garbage time at Cincinnati. With its bye coming up in Week 4, San Francisco could use that time to make a trade for a more experienced replacement or perhaps reconfigure its line.

Almost overshadowed by Roethlisberger’s season-ending injury was the Steelers’ trade with the Miami Dolphins on Monday for Minkah Fitzpatrick. The 22-year-old safety is expected to slot right into the starting lineup, offering immediate help for a secondary that has been strafed by Tom Brady and Russell Wilson in the first two games.