Mason Rudolph to get shot against Browns while Steelers rest Ben Roethlisberger

Mason Rudolph will return to the site of HelmetGate on Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit Cleveland.

His turn at quarterback isn’t based on a chance for redemption after he was clubbed on the head with his helmet courtesy of Browns defensive end Myles Garrett the last time the Steelers ventured to northeast Ohio.

It also isn’t being done so the Steelers can evaluate their backup quarterback’s play before the 2021 offseason.

Rudolph is getting another crack at the Cleveland defense in order for starter Ben Roethlisberger to rest for the playoffs, which begin for the Steelers — and perhaps the Browns — on the weekend of Jan. 9-10.

Roethlisberger leads the NFL in attempts at age 38 and, given the Steelers haven’t enjoyed significant time off since Week 4, coach Mike Tomlin has decided to sit his franchise quarterback with the AFC North title secured for the 12-3 Steelers.

Tomlin came to that decision after the Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up the No. 1 seed and the only first-round bye in the AFC.

“Given an opportunity to airmail a player or two to the postseason, we will,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference.

Roethlisberger was the only player Tomlin ruled out from playing in the season finale at FirstEnergy Stadium against the 10-5 Browns, who can clinch their first playoff berth since 2002 with a victory.

“We will look potentially at resting some other guys in terms of making them inactive,” Tomlin said. “But the number of those guys and who those guys are will be determined as we push through the week. Player availability dictates that.”

The game marks the Steelers’ first trip to Cleveland since Nov. 14, 2019, when Garrett ripped the helmet from Rudolph’s head late in the Browns’ 21-7 victory and swung it at the quarterback. Garrett made contact, sparking a brawl on the field that led to three suspensions and countless fines. Garrett was suspended indefinitely and missed the remainder of the regular season.

Garrett later said he was incited by Rudolph using a racial slur, a claim the Steelers quarterback and Tomlin vehemently denied.

Tomlin said he hadn’t yet talked to Rudolph about starting against the Browns again. Rudolph was 5-3 as a starter last season, but he was benched in favor of “Duck” Hodges for the rematch at Heinz Field.

“I’m sure he’s excited about getting the opportunity to start, certainly,” Tomlin said.

Roethlisberger will take a seat a week after leading the Steelers to a second-half comeback from a 17-point deficit against the Indianapolis Colts, the 28-24 victory snapping a three-game losing streak.

After a second consecutive poor showing in the first half, Roethlisberger snapped the offense out of its funk with touchdown passes to Diontae Johnson, Eric Ebron and JuJu Smith-Schuster. It was the first time in five games the Steelers topped 20 points.

The Steelers could move into the No. 2 seed with a win Sunday and a Buffalo loss against Miami, which is among five teams competing for four playoff berths in the AFC. Even if the Steelers rest starters against the Browns, Tomlin said it should not be taken as a sign his team isn’t trying to improve its standing in the AFC playoff race.

“I don’t want to make this seem like a preseason game,” Tomlin said. “Ben is the only guy I’m willing to acknowledge won’t play in this game.”

Tomlin said the chance to knock a divisional opponent from the playoff picture won’t serve as a motivation for the Steelers.

“That’s good water cooler fodder, and I get it,” he said. “But this is a scheduled game. Our business is to win, so we’re going to prepare with that mindset.”

It’s feasible the Steelers could face the Browns again a week later in the wild-card round of the playoffs. That possibility won’t factor into Tomlin’s gameplan Sunday.

“We are singularly focused with this opportunity that we face this week and the variables associated with it,” Tomlin said. “We’ll worry about the playoffs when we get there.”