Mason Rudolph on the Uncertainty of Sunday

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback discusses the mindset of not knowing.

PITTSBURGH -- It's a waiting game for everyone, including Mason Rudolph, to know whether or not Ben Roethlisberger will play for the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend. 

Right now, the team is preparing as if Rudolph is the starter in Week 11 against the Los Angeles Chargers, but they won't rule out Roethlisberger until they need to. 

Roethlisberger will need to test negative twice within 24 hours and be symptom-free for 48 hours before being able to return to the Steelers. He's planning on playing, if he can. And so, we wait - and so does Rudolph. 

"Whether or not he plays is out of my control," Rudolph said. "All I can control is having good practices and leading the guys and prepping hard with [quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan and offensive coordinator Matt Canada]. We'll see what happens as we get later into the week."

Rudolph knows as much as the rest of us when it comes to Roethlisberger's health. Coach Sullivan has spoken with Roethlisberger every day via Zoom and the 37-year-old quarterback is active in meetings and game prep. 

Last season, Roethlisberger missed a full-week of practice after being considered a high-risk close-contact to COVID-19 and having to isolate for five days. Rudolph said that experience has helped him adjust to the uncertainty of his starting status for Sunday.  

"That's the battle between self and team," Rudolph said. "Yeah, we're all going to feel [disappointed] in side, but at the end of the freaking day, what matters is the team and going out and winning the game. Regardless of who's playing the quarterback position, the Steelers, we want to win. We want to continue to stack wins and set our selves up for the postseason. That's the mindset." 

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