Quarterback Mason Rudolph will start today against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
Rudolph will start in place of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is dealing with a broken bone in his left wrist.
CBS Sports Evan Washburn spoke with Coach Mike Tomlin pregame regarding Rodgers' status.
"I'll provide you with complete clarity," said Tomlin. "He's not going to play today. He fought his tail off all week, but that's the prudent play for us to make as a collective. So, he won't be playing this week. We'll let Mason start, and obviously he's absorbed most of the reps this week."
Rudolph has appeared in three games this season, completing 14 of 18 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown, most of this action in the second half of last week's game against the Bengals.
Rudolph prepared all week in case he was called upon, with Rodgers missing practice on Wednesday and limited on Thursday and Friday.
"My mindset is to be ready if I need to play," said Rudolph earlier in the week. "I think I've got a lot of different experiences to draw from. Whether you find out the day before the game, or you're thrown into the game in the first quarter, second half, or you get the whole week of reps. So, you definitely draw from those experiences."
Tomlin shared his thoughts on Rudolph with Bob Labriola on steelers.com, saying confidence is a big thing and it's something Rudolph has.
"It certainly can be developed, but it's also something that's innate, something that you've got to have. And he certainly has it," said Tomlin. "And he has an unwavering belief in self. I've been around him a number of years. Very rarely do we see him shaken or lacking in confidence, and that's certainly a good skill set to have under those circumstances.
"To me, confidence is the most significant thing. Certainly, he's a sharp guy, and he works with extreme urgency day-to-day. And I think that positions him for performance when he's maybe not getting a lot of significant reps. And so, when you have a certain level of maturity, you're a smart enough guy that you can learn from watching others, or learn from a minimal number of snaps, I think those are the tangible things that potentially elevates performance under those circumstances. But I'll take the intangible things over the tangible things 100 percent of the time – a guy who doesn't blink, a guy who's capable of instilling confidence in others, a guy who has belief in self. And he checks those boxes."
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