Steelers Name Mason Rudolph Starting QB; Rule Out T.J. Watt vs. Bills

Mason Rudolph will start his fourth straight game for the Pittsburgh Steelers and they'll be without T.J. Watt when they face the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the AFC playoffs.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made key decisions ahead of their first-round playoff matchup vs. the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Highmark Stadium.

T.J. Watt chasing down Josh Allen / USA Today Sports

The Steelers announced that they'll start Mason Rudolph at quarterback, which will be his fourth straight after going 3-0 to end the season to lead them into the playoffs. Pittsburgh also ruled out outside linebacker T.J. Watt with an MCL sprain after he suffered the injury late in its Week 18 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

The decision to start Rudolph doesn't come as a surprise despite former first-round pick Kenny Pickett being healthy. Rudolph has thrown for 719 yards and three touchdowns and hasn't thrown an interception during his three-game run. Pittsburgh has a 34-11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, a 30-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks and a 17-10 win over Baltimore in that span. 

The Steelers were on the outside looking in in the AFC playoff picture before inserting Rudolph as the starting quarterback over Mitch Trubisky. Now Rudolph remains the starting quarterback even with Pickett back from his ankle injury.

Losing Watt is a pivotal blow to the Steelers' defense. The Pittsburgh outside linebacker is a six-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro and 2021 Defensive Player of the Year. 

Could Buffalo Win Move Coach Tomlin to Quit Steelers?

Watt had another stellar season that'll have him firmly in the discussion for his second Defensive Player of the Year award, as he had 19 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, 36 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. 

The Bills play the Steelers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Highmark Stadium in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs.