Mason Rudolph feels like he is back home, and the backup quarterback showed that comfort level on Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers needed him most.

Rudolph replaced injured Aaron Rodgers at the start of the second half and provided a steady hand. Ahead 10-6 at the half, the Steelers wound up winning going away, 34-12, over the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium.

Rodgers hurt his left wrist late in the second quarter and could not return. Rudolph stepped in and completed 12 of 16 passes for 127 yards. He threw an 11-yard touchdown to running back Kenneth Gainwell with 3:40 left that gave the Steelers an insurmountable 27-12 lead.

"He's always delivered when called upon in the past," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of Rudolph. "That's why we value him. His performance was consistent with what he's done in the past for us. Not that we take it for granted. We don't. We appreciate it."

The Steelers drafted Rudolph in the third round in 2019, and there was some thought he could be the eventual successor to Ben Roethlisberger as the starting quarterback. While that didn't happen, Rudolph was a solid backup and helped the Steelers reach the playoffs in 2023 when he replaced injured Kenny Pickett late in the season.

Rudolph left the Steelers following that season. He signed with the Tennessee Titans after being promised an opportunity to win the starting job. However, Rudolph was benched following the Titans' 1-4 start to the 2024 season and again became a free agent at the end of the year.

Rudolph decided to come back to the Steelers and is glad he did.

"I really was thankful for the opportunity that I had last year in Tennessee, the way things worked out, to get a different perspective on football," Rudolph said. "But coming back here, just so much comfortability from the people that you see in the tunnel that work the security, the friendly faces there on the field, Joseph Maroon, one of the doctors. It really feels like home, some of the great relationships. I wouldn't say easy, but it's very comfortable to come back in, and you just know where everything is. You've won games here, and that gives you confidence."

Rudolph played with plenty of confidence on Sunday, and he got a boost from the defense, which scored two touchdowns in the second half.

"You never know when it's going to come," Rudolph said of getting the opportunity to play. "You always have little jitters first time going back all year. But we ran the ball really well. I barely got touched. So, offensive line, hats off to them. It was a lot of fun."