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 taking a look at 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 brief exchange told Rudolph all he needed to know: it was his turn to lead the offense.

Rudolph took the field in Week 11 because of Rodgers’ injury. He suffered a wrist injury during the first half of the game, as he was hit by multiple Bengals defenders. Initially, he was listed as questionable after he left the field; however, the head coach, Mike Tomlin, was already getting Rudolph ready.

“We’re hopeful but we better get Mason Rudolph ready to go,” Tomlin said during halftime media interaction when asked about Rodgers’ availability. At last, Rudolph took the field and did exactly what the Steelers wanted from him. He completed 12 of 16 passes for 17 yards and a touchdown.

It’s not the first time the backup quarterback has impressed us. He entered the game with a 9-8-1 starter record, out of which he holds an impressive 8-4-1 mark with the Steelers only. Therefore, even when Pittsburgh lost its veteran quarterback, they didn’t have a lot 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 Rodgers’ injury

As of now, we can’t confirm the severity of his injury. But the head coach, Mike Tomlin, did address this in his post-game press conference. He also did not want to add on to the speculations regarding the quarterback’s status; therefore, he said, he can only confirm after he has been briefly evaluated.

”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.”

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.