The Pittsburgh Steelers placed quarterback Mason Rudolph on injured reserve, the team announced Tuesday.
Rudolph was expected to miss multiple weeks after suffering a left shoulder injury during the team's Week 16 loss to the New York Jets. The 24-year-old was summoned from the bench to replace struggling rookie Devlin Hodges before getting hurt.
Hodges will start the regular-season finale, while former Denver Broncos first-round pick Paxton Lynch is slated to serve as the backup.
Pittsburgh has two possible paths to the last playoff spot in the AFC: a win over the Baltimore Ravens combined with a Tennessee Titans loss, or a loss to Baltimore combined with losses from Tennessee, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Oakland Raiders.
Rudolph started eight of his 10 appearances in 2019. He was tabbed to take over for an injured Ben Roethlisberger early in the season but was demoted due to ineffectiveness.
The second-year pro out of Oklahoma State finishes the campaign with 1,765 passing yards to go with 13 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a 62.2 completion percentage.
Pittsburgh went 5-3 in Rudolph's starts this year.
