Mike Tomlin is sticking with Devlin Hodges as his quarterback -- at least for now.
That was his message Tuesday as the Steelers cleaned up the mess following their 17-10 defeat at the hands of the Bills last Sunday night, a game in which Hodges was intercepted four times.
Tomlin said he'll give Hodges an opportunity to bounce back from the worst game of his young career when the Steelers (8-6) travel to New Jersey to face the Jets (5-8) because that's what he did earlier this season when Mason Rudolph had a four-interception game in a loss to the Browns in Cleveland in mid-November.
Rudolph didn't respond in a manner that Tomlin wanted, struggling in the first half the following week in Cincinnati and Tomlin pulled him after the opening possession of the second half, turning things over to Hodges.
"I think it's reasonable to expect growth as they gain exposure. Sometimes it can be negative exposure, as he experienced in the last game. But exposure is a tool for growth," Tomlin said. "I think it's reasonable to expect him to learn from those negative experiences last Sunday night and apply it to this next opportunity and hopefully not make the same mistake twice. We've been in similar circumstances this year. Mason had a similar experience against Cleveland. We gave him an opportunity to respond to that experience. We'll proceed with Duck and give him a chance to respond. There needs to be growth and development from that."
If there's not, Rudolph should be at the ready.
The Steelers had an opportunity to move closer to clinching a playoff berth with a win over the Bills, but squandered that chance with five total turnovers.
They still control their own playoff chances. If they win their final two games -- this week against the Jets and in Week 17 at Baltimore -- they're in.
Given those circumstances, Tomlin might have a quick hook with Hodges, who is 3-1 as a starter. But he's also making no contingency plans.
"I don't anticipate or plan for failure. I anticipate him doing great," Tomlin said. "I anticipate him responding. I anticipate him doing a great job of moving our offense and taking care of the ball. I hadn't pondered the other possibilities and I won't. I'll cross that bridge if and when I come to it."
One thing the Steelers need to do a better job is protecting Hodges by running the ball. In his first three starts, the Steelers averaged 35 rushing attempts per game. Sunday, despite having a 10-7 lead in the third quarter and the game being tied at 10-10 early in the fourth quarter, the Steelers had just 15 rushing attempts.
James Conner, returning from a shoulder injury after essentially missing the previous six weeks, led the backfield with 34 snaps, while Jaylen Samuels, who had been questionable with a groin injury, got 17. Kerrith Whyte played six snaps, while Benny Snell, who had led the Steelers in rushing the past three games, got two.
The Steelers gained just 51 yards against the Bills on the ground, as Hodges attempted 38 passes. Hodges had not attempted more than 21 passes in any of his previous games.
"You're going to pass more when you lose. That's the reality of it," Tomlin said. "We didn't anticipate not being in control of the game through the latter part of the third and fourth quarter. That's not how we like to approach it, particularly in our current circumstances with our youth and inexperience at quarterback and receiver, but that's how the game unfolded."
Running the ball more against the Jets could be difficult. The Jets allow just 88.8 rushing yards per game and 3.3 yards per carry. But leaning more on the running game has been the team's formula for success when Hodges has played.
"It's really incumbent on us to be in control of the game and then we can choose to run or to not to run," Tomlin said. "When you're not in control of the game, you're somewhat one-dimensional."
And that's what they don't want to be with a rookie at quarterback. Hodges has made some big throws and sparked the offense at times this season. But the Steelers have given him an easy script from which to work. They've played strong defense, run the ball and not asked him to put the team on his back.
That changed against the Bills, particularly in the fourth quarter. But Tomlin wants to see how Hodges responds to his poor performance before making a switch back to Rudolph -- if necessary.
"All of these guys are here at this level because of their ability to respond and deal with adversity at every level of football they've ever played," Tomlin said. "They were the guys on their high school basketball teams that had the ball in the waning moments of the game. I'm just calling on that. It's not the first time I've called on that. I routinely call on that. Mason didn't take care of the ball very well the first time at Cleveland. I gave him the opportunity the subsequent week based on those reasons. I think it's very reasonable given the type of competitor we work with to give them an opportunity to respond to adversity, to answer the bell and deliver."
LOLLEY'S VIEW
As I noted in my 10 Thoughts, I would have gone back to Rudolph in this situation, but I also don't know that there is a right answer here. The fact of the matter is, the Steelers are playing without their franchise quarterback for the 13th-straight game on Sunday.
I do expect, however, Tomlin to have a pretty quick hook with Hodges if he turns the ball over or the offense is struggling. There's only two games remaining on the schedule, so there really isn't much of a tomorrow.
It would help matters to get JuJu Smith-Schuster and Vance McDonald back. They both have a chance to play this week, but we'll see how that goes. Tomlin said both are questionable at this time but are likely to practice at some point.
The Steelers have been holding things together with rubber bands and glue all season. There's no reason that wouldn't continue into the final couple of weeks of the season.
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