Welcome to the terrible take, a daily segment telling Steeler Nation what's on our minds.

I'm Melanie Friedlander.

Christmas came early for Steelers fans and players alike yesterday,

as the team beat the Bengals in their final home game in the season.

The 34-11 victory was a dominant win, the first one in a long time.

Next week, the Steelers head to Seattle to face the Seahawks and their 12th man home field advantage.

Both teams are desperately clinging to playoff hopes.

Head coach Mike Tomlin has a decision to make before then.

Does he leave third string quarterback Mason Rudolph

as the starter for another week,

or will he give the job back to Kenny Pickett?

Tomlin has often said he doesn't make permanent changes on the roster

with regard to who's coming back from injury.

Earlier this season, Dan Moore Jr. kept his role as starting left tackle

after missing time due to injury,

despite rookie first round pick Broderick Jones

filling in fairly well in his absence. The Steelers haven't been eliminated from the

playoffs yet, but their chances are a slim 8% at the moment. Pickett is still recovering from

tightrope surgery from a severe high ankle sprain, And even if he is cleared by team doctors, he won't be close to 100%.

Why risk another injury or a complication in his recovery with the guy who almost certainly will be the starter when the

2024 season opens. Some will argue that the team needs to see what they have in

Kenny in the post-Mat Canada games. If he is less mobile than in his early post-op stage, he won't be able to show much anyway,

...