Ben Roethlisberger Expected to Miss Several Weeks With Knee Injury
The enthusiasm surrounding the return of running back Le’Veon Bell to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ lineup was tempered by a substantial knee injury suffered by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. During Sunday’s Week 3 game against the St. Louis Rams, Big Ben was tackled low by Rams’ safety Mark Barron and carted off the field. According to F&TS‘ Richie “Dick” Burns, Roethlisberger was seen walking around the locker room on crutches and is scheduled for further evaluation. An MRI on Sunday night revealed an MCL sprain but no damage to the ACL in Roethlisberger’s left knee, per Jason LaCanfora of CBS Sports. The quarterback is expected to recover in as soon as four weeks. But the injury could keep him out longer. Fantasy football general managers, adjust your rosters accordingly.
The Knee Injury Could’ve Been Worse
In a 12-6 victory over the Rams, Roethlisberger was sacked on back-to-back plays, and on the second one he stayed down on the field clutching his left knee in obvious pain. He was eventually helped to the sideline by the training staff. After some consultation, Roethlisberger was carted to the locker room with the injury. The Steelers’ backup quarterback Michael Vick, replaced Big Ben in the lineup for the remainder of the game. Prior to the injury, Ben Roethlisberger had completed 20 of 24 passes for 192 yards with an interception.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported, “Ben is expected to be sidelined at least four weeks. But the hope is that it’s not a season-ending injury. Still could be.” Vick is expected to be the Steelers’ starting quarterback moving forward. Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Rams was the first regular-season action for Vick as a member of the black and yellow. He played in 10 games with the New York Jets last season, completed 64 of 121 passes for 604 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Game Notes
Roethlisberger has been the team’s starting quarterback since he was drafted in the first round back in 2004. He’s played in all 16 games in each of the past two seasons. Coming into Sunday’s game, Big Ben completed 47 of 65 passes for 720 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception.