Duck Hodges to start over Mason Rudolph against Browns

The Pittsburgh Steelers benched Mason Rudolph in favor Devlin Hodges during Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals, and it appears they are going to stick with the rookie quarterback.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin announced on Tuesday that Hodges will start in Week 13 against the Cleveland Browns.

#Steelers coach Mike Tomlin makes it official, announcing that QB Devlin Hodges will start this week against the #Browns. Mason Rudolph to the bench.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 26, 2019

Rudolph completed 8-of-16 passes for 85 yards and an interception and generated only three points against the Bengals before Hodges replaced him. The Steelers were trailing 7-3 at the time, and Hodges made an immediate impact by throwing a long touchdown pass to James Washington on his first possession. Pittsburgh ended up winning 16-10.

Hodges’ only other action this season came in Week 6, when he helped the Steelers defeat the Los Angeles Chargers. The former FCS star has quickly become a fan favorite in part because of his nickname, Duck. He explained the origin behind the nickname earlier this season, and we’ll likely hear a lot about it this week and potentially beyond.