Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback Mason Rudolph left Sunday's game when he appeared to be knocked out cold against the Baltimore Ravens.

With 7:39 to play in the third quarter, Rudolph broke the pocket and went left as he looked downfield to make a throw. Right after he threw a pass to receiver James Washington, Ravens linebacker Matt Judon hit Rudolph from behind, but safety Earl Thomas came from the front to sandwich the quarterback while striking him on the side of the cheek area with his helmet.

Rudolph instantly went down and his body appeared to go limp as his helmet slammed into the turf. Rudolph lay on the ground motionless while teammates immediately called for Pittsburgh’s medical staff to come and tend to Rudolph.

After a few minutes, Rudolph eventually appeared to regain consciousness and sat up. He eventually walked off the field very slowly, with assistance from teammates and medical staff.

Rudolph was later diagnosed with a concussion and ruled out for the remainder of the game. The team said he was taken to the hospital, and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported he returned home after further evaluation.

“I hit the strike zone like we talk about,” Thomas said after the game, according to ESPN. “I didn’t go high. I didn’t intentionally try to hurt him. I’m worried about him. I heard he’s at the hospital. My prayers go out to him and his family. I’ve never tried to hurt anybody.”

Undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges out of Samford entered the game in Rudolph's place. He completed seven of nine passes for 68 yards and ran twice for 20 yards, but the Steelers fell to the Ravens 26-23 in overtime.

Rudolph took over as Pittsburgh's quarterback after Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury to his right arm during the team’s second game. He completed 13 of 20 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown before exiting.

Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.

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