Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Ben Roethlisberger will not play this weekend against the Browns, with Mason Rudolph in his place in Cleveland.
Tomlin acknowledged that the Steelers (12-3), who have already secured a place in the playoffs and the AFC North title, could rest more starters on Sunday, but as of now, Roethlisberger is the only one to go to name.
“It doesn’t change our intentions when it comes to going to Cleveland this weekend,” Tomlin said. “Football is our game. Our job is to win. We intend to do our job. We intend to prepare with that mindset. And it will ultimately lead us to this destination. We are not looking for comfort. We are not classified in a curve.
“This game is planned and therefore the guys who will be on the field will represent us to the standard that will be the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
Tomlin stressed that while a couple of other players could rest before the playoffs, Sunday’s meeting with the Browns will not feature a team made up entirely of backups, in part due to health issues. Instead, he said, they will likely run on a rotation that limits the countdown of moments for some beginners, while giving opportunities for healthy backups.
“It’s not a preseason game where we’re playing backups, where we have the player 54 to 75 to evaluate and stuff of that nature,” he said. “We have an NFL football team. This NFL football team is going to play, minus Ben and maybe another guy or two. I don’t want to take more advantage of it than it is from that perspective.”
Rudolph’s start comes a year after a fight marked the end of the teams ’game in Cleveland. Browns star Myles Garrett was suspended for ripping and turning Rudolph’s helmet and hitting the quarterback in the head with the remaining seconds.
Since Garrett was suspended and Rudolph was left on the bench for revenge last year, Sunday will be the first time the two have played against each other since the incident.
“I haven’t had a chance to talk about it,” Tomlin said of Rudolph’s return to Cleveland. “But I’m sure he’s excited about the opportunity to get started, no doubt.”
Cleveland (10-5) can win the playoffs with a win Sunday, but Tomlin said his team isn’t necessarily motivated by the possibility of keeping the Browns out of the postseason.
“Motivation and intentions and all that stuff, that’s good water-cooled fodder and I get it,” Tomlin said. “This is a scheduled game. Our business is to win. We will prepare with this mindset. This will not change in the way we approach it. … I know what our mindset will be. I know what our intentions will be. “We’re going to play football.”