In Week 11, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 34-12 at Acrisure Stadium. While the scoreline was decisive, it was Aaron Rodgers’ halftime message to backup quarterback Mason Rudolph that stole the headlines.

According to Rudolph, Rodgers appeared to him at halftime, just as trainers were examining the quarterback’s left wrist. As Jenna Harner reported, “Rodgers gave him the finger letting him know he’d be getting in the game,” and added that Rodgers made sure to indicate it was the ‘you’re up’ finger, not the rude one.

That quick moment was enough for Rudolph to understand that it was his time to lead the offense.

Rudolph stepped in during Week 11 after Rodgers got injured. The 41-year-old hurt his wrist in the first half when he was hit by several Bengals defenders. He was listed as questionable after leaving the field, but head coach Mike Tomlin had already started preparing Rudolph to take over.

“We’re hopeful but we better get Mason Rudolph ready to go,” Tomlin said during halftime media interaction when asked about Rodgers’ availability.

Finally, Rudolph stepped onto the field and delivered just what the Steelers needed. He completed 12 of 16 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown.

It’s not the first time the backup quarterback has impressed. He entered the game with a 9-8-1 record as a starter, including an impressive 8-4-1 mark with the Steelers alone. So, even when Pittsburgh lost its veteran quarterback, there wasn’t much reason to worry.

After the game, Rudolph kept it very simple while addressing the media. He said, ”We won, and that’s the only the the only objective. I thought I settled down a little bit. I had a couple errant ones early, but just tried to get it out to our guys.”

He continued, ” [The Bengals] played a lot of soft, one-high zone, and so we were letting a whole lot of stuff go over the middle. … I was really proud of the way the guys. We had a couple bad penalties that backed us up, and we overcame it and got some points on the board.”

However, things are not very good for the 41-year-old quarterback.

Mike Tomlin on Aaron Rodgers’ injury

As of now, the severity of Aaron Rogers’ injury remains unclear. However, head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the situation during his post-game press conference. He chose not to fuel speculation about the quarterback’s status and stated that he could only provide confirmation after a brief medical evaluation.

”Aaron’s obviously out with a wrist injury,” Tomlin said, via SteelerNation.com. “He’ll be evaluated in the morning. I’ll give you guys more information there.”

The head coach also acknowledged the Rudolph’s contribution. ”He’s always delivered when called upon in the past,” he said. He also mentioned his importance in the franchise, ”That’s why we value him. His performance was consistent with what he’s done in the past for us. Not that we take it for granted. We don’t. We appreciate it.”

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Before leaving the field, Rodgers already set the tone for the Steelers. He left them with a 10-6 lead at halftime, with an 11-yard scoring pass to the running back Kenneth Gainwell.

The Steelers will next be facing the Chicago Bears in a Week 12 contest.