Steelers to rest Ben Roethlisberger and start Mason Rudolph in Week 17 visit to Browns; Pittsburgh have won AFC North, while a Cleveland win secures their first playoff trip since 2002; Rudolph involved in infamous clash with Myles Garrett in Browns game last November
Wednesday 30 December 2020 15:15, UK
The Browns have been handed a boost in their bid to reach the playoffs after Mike Tomlin announced he will rest Ben Roethlisberger and start Mason Rudolph at quarterback when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit Cleveland this weekend.
The Browns go into their final game of the regular season knowing a win over their AFC North rivals will secure a wildcard spot and a trip to the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
However, if Cleveland lose, they will need either a loss by the Indianapolis Colts against the Jacksonville Jaguars or by the Tennessee Titans against the Houston Texans, plus wins for the Miami Dolphins at the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens at the Cincinnati Bengals to reach the postseason.
With Roethlisberger resting, Rudolph will start on his first return to Cleveland since his infamous clash with Browns defensive end Myles Garrett in November 2019.
Garrett was suspended for the rest of the 2019 season after removing Rudolph's helmet and striking him with it. He later apologised for his actions, which the Steelers quarterback described as "cowardly".
Steelers coach Tomlin's decision to rest Roethlisberger comes after the Kansas City Chiefs locked up the No 1 seed in the AFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs with their Week 16 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Steelers - whose win over the Colts last weekend secured the AFC North title - will take the No 2 seed if they beat the Browns, but a defeat coupled with a Buffalo victory against the Dolphins will hand the Bills the ranking.
Tomlin added that some of the Steelers' other regular starters may rest against the Browns but that the majority of the first-team offense will take some snaps in the game.
He said: "This is no preseason game. The standard is the standard. Our job is to win football games.''
