Steelers Fans Ruthlessly Called for a New QB After Mitch Trubisky Struggled Early vs. Patriots

The “Mason Rudolph” chants started early at Acrisure Stadium.

The Steelers struggled mightily in the first half of Thursday night’s game vs. the Patriots with backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky leading the team.

Trubisky threw an interception to start the second quarter, which the Patriots quickly turned into points, scoring their second touchdown of the night just three plays later. This was enough for Steelers fans to begin chanting for the third-string quarterback, Mason Rudolph.

Despite Rudolph seeing no action yet in the 2023 season, Acrisure Stadium filled with “Rudolph” chants, with some fans even singing the holiday song “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.” 

However, the chants didn’t work as coach Mike Tomlin kept Trubisky in.

The Steelers will have to figure out something to do as starter Kenny Pickett just underwent surgery following the high ankle sprain he suffered on Sunday. He will likely be out for a few weeks, although the return timeline is uncertain.

The sentiment to bring Rudolph in the game flooded onto social media, too, as football fans begged the Steelers to change quarterbacks. Fans couldn’t believe they felt so desperate to call for the team’s third-string quarterback.

Trubisky was able to get a little bit of love back from fans before halftime, connecting with wide receiver Diontae Johnson for a touchdown to cut the Steelers' deficit to 21-10.


Published
Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.