Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has been vocal about the team's mishaps over the past three weeks. The Steelers are riding a three-game losing streak behind insufficient quarterback play. Their offense ranks at the bottom of the league in nearly every major category behind Kenny Pickett and Mitch Tribusky. Tomlin spoke on his decision to start third-string quarterback Mason Rudolph and what he's looking for in Week 16.

“We need him to be aggressive. He doesn't need to live in fear or play that way. Certainly, we've got to be prudent in terms of protection of the ball, but there's a balance there. We spent some time talking about it, but I think it's in his natural wheelhouse. He's a confident and aggressive guy by nature. Whenever called upon he's always been aggressive in terms of throwing the ball vertically. That's an asset, and that's one of the reasons why I'm comfortable calling on him and going with him today,” per Bob Labriola at Steelers.com.

The Steelers are set to face the Cincinati Bengals on Saturday in a divisional matchup. They need every part of this victory to keep them in the playoff race, despite the little chance they have. Hope is what the Steelers need right now, and Rudolph carries that possibility through his arm today.

He's been with the Steelers for years, earning Tomlin's trust as a veteran backup. While the offense has changed since Rudopkh first got to the Steelers, he understands the standard in Pittsburgh. Rudolph is the Steelers' last shot at potentially making the playoffs with three games left in the season.