JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (TNS) — Aaron Rodgers got a good workout when the Pittsburgh Steelers opened their preseason Saturday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars. But it was all before the game.

He spent the rest of the night watching a pair of impressive performances from the other Steelers quarterbacks.

Mason Rudolph — remember him? — and Skylar Thompson combined to complete 17 of 19 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns before halftime, giving the Steelers an early cushion in their 31-25 victory Saturday night at EverBank Stadium.

“It was really cool, really fun,” Rudolph said. “Good to be back in the Black and Gold.”

And they didn’t stop there.

After Thompson threw for 83 yards in the first half, the former Miami Dolphins quarterback passed for 150 yards and two more touchdowns in the second half.

The only thing more impressive might have been Jaguars kicker Cam Little hitting a 70-yard field goal at the end of the first half — a kick that would have easily bettered Justin Tucker’s 66-yard NFL record if this were the regular season.

“I was excited to get out there and get some opportunities and go play some football,” said Thompson, who was signed to a reserve/futures contract after spending two seasons and starting three games with the Dolphins. “I just had a lot of fun.”

Thompson finished 20 of 28 for 233 yards and three touchdowns with a passer rating of 132.0. He got extended work because rookie Will Howard has a broken bone in his throwing hand and is likely to miss the entire preseason.

“I thought it started with Arthur just getting the plays in efficiently and being able to operate,” Thompson said. “I thought we had a good rhythm and tempo in and out of the huddle all day.”

The reference was to offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who tested his two quarterbacks with a lot of play action. It worked to near perfection, especially against some members of the Jaguars starting defense. Rudolph and Thompson combined to complete 76.3% of their attempts (29 of 38) for 301 yards and four touchdowns.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) is tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers’ James Pierre (42) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla.

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

“I love that when [Smith] comes out aggressive,” Rudolph said. “He will tell us the first few plays that he thinks he’s going to call, but other than that, he just calls them.”

In his first appearance in a Steelers uniform since he rescued their season in 2023, Rudolph showed he is more than capable of doing it again. And it didn’t take him long.

All the eight-year veteran did on the Steelers’ first possession was complete all seven pass attempts for 70 yards, the last one a perfectly thrown ball down the numbers to tight end Darnell Washington for a 19-yard touchdown. That culminated a nine-play drive that began with a nice 19-yard reception by receiver Roman Wilson, playing his first game with the Steelers.

It enabled the Steelers to take a 14-9 halftime lead against a Jaguars team that started all of its key offensive players, including quarterback Trevor Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne and heralded rookie Travis Hunter.

“[Smith] did a good job of calling some aggressive shots in the middle,” Rudolph said. “Roman Wilson made a really nice catch to get us going.”

Thompson replaced Rudolph and didn’t miss a beat, completing 8 of 9 passes for 83 yards and a 3-yard touchdown to running back Max Hurleman. Thompson also executed a perfect screen pass to running back Trey Sermon for an 11-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Rudolph began the drive with passes on the first four plays and five of the first six. The only other non-pass plays in the nine-play drive were a pair of runs by rookie Kaleb Johnson for 1 and 4 yards.

Rudolph completed his first eight passes and finished the night 9 of 10 for 84 yards before he was replaced by Thompson. His only incompletion was a drop by Johnson.

“There’s a level of comfortability that can’t be replaced,” Rudolph said. “Every chance I get to play, it’s awesome.”

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Max Hurleman (34) celebrates a touchdown catch during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla.

AP Photo/John Raoux