With playoff hopes on the line, Mason Rudolph and Steelers teammates wait to see if he gets 2nd start

Leave it to tight end Pat Freiermuth to break out the Christmas puns to quarterback Mason Rudolph as he prepared to make his first start Saturday in more than two years.

As the Pittsburgh Steelers players were going through warmups, Freiermuth unleashed a few that Rudolph undoubtedly has heard before.

“Rudolph, guide my sleigh tonight.”

And …

“Rudolph, won’t you guide Steeler Nation to a victory tonight?”

Indeed, Rudolph saved Christmas for the Steelers and their legion of fans when he threw two touchdown passes and totaled 290 yards through the air in a 34-11 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The question is: Will Rudolph be given a chance to save New Year’s too?

After snapping a three-game losing streak, the Steelers take an 8-7 record into Seattle next weekend, and the biggest decision coach Mike Tomlin must make will be who gets the start at quarterback.

Will it be Rudolph, who had a 124 passer rating, the best by a Steelers quarterback this season, as he threw touchdown passes of 86 and 66 yards to George Pickens and completed 17 of 27 overall?

Or will it be Kenny Pickett, who has missed the past three games recovering from ankle surgery? Tomlin could let Pickett’s progression tell the story, or he could anoint either one the starter Tuesday at his weekly news conference.

One thing is certain: If Rudolph had any doubters in the Steelers locker room, he won them over Saturday.

“Seeing the stuff he’s been through, seeing how he performed, hearing the stadium chant his name was awesome,” Freiermuth said. “It couldn’t happen to a better guy.”

Rudolph also got a vote of confidence from the team’s two defensive captains, Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt, who are among just three players with a longer tenure on the Steelers than the sixth-year quarterback.

“I just saw his prep throughout the week, getting in there early,” Heyward said. “I saw him at the hotel, he was in deep study. Seeing him preparing, you could feel like he was putting himself in a good spot. Throughout the week, I thought he was really going to relish this opportunity.”

Rudolph made an immediate impact, hitting Pickens on a slant on the second offensive snap. Pickens did the rest and didn’t stop running until he had completed the 86-yard score. That got the Steelers off and running toward a 24-0 halftime lead.

After the Bengals responded with a touchdown and 2-point conversion to trim the deficit to two scores, Rudolph floated a third-and-1 pass deep into Pickens’ arms along the sideline. The 66-yard catch-and-run made it 31-8.

“I’m not surprised,” Watt said. “I’ve told people that before. He’s put in so much work. He hasn’t gotten any opportunities, and he could have complained, but he owned up to (being on) scout team. He gave us great looks over the past couple years. You knew when he got his opportunity, he was going to seize it.”

At Seattle, the Steelers will try to seize a win that would keep them in the hunt for a wild-card spot. Entering Monday night, the New York Times’ playoff simulator gave them a 13% chance of making the postseason.

The Steelers, who haven’t won more than two in a row this season, would have to complete the season-ending three-game winning streak by beating the Seahawks and first-place Baltimore Ravens in back-to-back weeks on the road. They also would need a combination of losses from AFC South opponents that hold a tiebreaker over them: Jacksonville, Indianapolis and Houston.

“The door is creaked, but we have more work to do,” Heyward said. “We have to go to Seattle, and it will be a long trip out there.”

The Steelers are 1-7 all time when they travel to Seattle, and they have lost five in a row in the Pacific Northwest since their lone win in 1983. That losing streak will need to end if the Steelers want to have a happy new year regardless of who plays quarterback.

“I’m glad the hard work paid off, and I hope it motivates us to want it even more,” Watt said. “This feeling is addicting. We have to continue to work toward performances like this.”