The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9 in their second consecutive game at home. For the Steelers to pull off the upset, they are going to need Mason Rudolph to play one of the best games of his young career.
Indianapolis is atop the AFC South with a 5-2 record and is talented on both sides of the ball. With Frank Reich at the helm, they are well-coached and rarely make mistakes that could cost them a victory. Additionally, Jacoby Brissett has done a remarkable job stepping into the starting quarterback position.
As for Rudolph, the second-year quarterback for the Steelers is still in the feeling-it-out process in the offense. The Oklahoma State product is coming off a game where he threw for 251 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night.
Nevertheless, here are three bold predictions for Rudolph in Week 9 versus the Colts.
3. Rudolph will score a rushing touchdown
Dating back to his days at Oklahoma State, Rudolph has never been known for his mobility. As the starter of the Steelers, he hasn't shown any signs of improvement in that area of his game; which isn't a knock on him at all.
In his five games played this season, Rudolph has rushed for just 19 yards on eight attempts. With that being said, Rudolph will score the first rushing touchdown of his young career on Sunday.
Whether it comes from a quarterback sneak or a five-yard run, Rudolph will get across the goal-line as a rusher.
2. Rudolph will throw for 300 yards
The Steelers miss having Ben Roethlisberger under center due to his ability to throw the ball around the field with ease. On the other hand, their offense has changed a bit with Rudolph leading the offense—and understandably so.
The young signal-caller has combined for 897 yards in the five games that he has taken snaps in this year. In addition, he has yet to have a game that he has exceeded 260 passing yards.
Even against a formidable defense of the Colts, Rudolph will have the first 300-yard performance of his career in Week 9. Indianapolis has only allowed Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan to throw for 300 yards in 2019.
1. Rudolph will throw for three touchdowns
While the yards have been tough to come by for Rudolph, he has been fairly consistent on throwing touchdowns. Furthermore, in four of the five games that he has played in, he's thrown for two touchdowns.
The only game that he didn't complete two touchdowns came in Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens. Of course, that was the game that Rudolph took a scary hit from Earl Thomas that rendered him unconscious and put him in the concussion protocol.
This week, Rudolph will complete a career-high three touchdowns to the likes of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, and Vance McDonald despite the Colts allowing just 11 passing touchdowns (15th in the NFL).
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