If there was any uncertainty about Landry Jones’ job as the Steelers backup quarterback, his position got a little more secure Thursday night — by not taking a single snap.
The Steelers devoted the second preseason game to the young quarterbacks, and both threw pick-sixes on their first passes as part of a miserable night against the Packers. They weren’t the only ones making mistakes in the 51-34 loss, but the performances of Mason Rudolph and Joshua Dobbs were clearly not what they were hoping for.
“I understand this process is a learning one but, boy, we’ve got a lot to learn from on that video and we will,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said, via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “How we respond to this performance is probably more important than the performance itself.”
Rudolph, the third-round rookie, started the game with a bang (or more accurately a backfire). His first pass was picked off by Packers cornerback Tramon Williams and returned 25 yards for a touchdown. He played the entire first half, and was 5-of-12 passing for 47 yards and a touchdown to go with the interception, for a 46.2 passer rating.
“I thought his demeanor and stuff was good,” Tomlin said said of Rudolph. “We didn’t play well, and he’s not alone in that.”
Dobbs, last year’s fourth-rounder, played the second half with the reserves, and after throwing his pick-six, he finished 12-of-18 for 192 yards and two touchdowns.
It wasn’t the kind of performance either wanted, if they wanted to leapfrog Landry on the depth chart.
