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Saturday update: The Steelers have activated Ben Roethlisberger off the Covid-19 IR list and he is set to play in Week 10.
Friday update: Mike Tomlin told the media he expects Roethlisberger to come off the Covid-19 IR list on Saturday, per Aditi Kinkhabwala. Tomlin is planning an extended walkthrough on Saturday to get Roethlisberger extra time with his teammates.
Thursday update: The Steelers placed Roethlisberger on the Covid-19 IR list as a close contact of Vance McDonald. The team is planning on him returning this Saturday to play on Sunday, but his status remains uncertain for the time being.
Ben Roethlisberger is banged up after securing a hard-fought victory against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9 but there’s optimism that he’ll be able to play through pain against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10. The signal-caller sustained injuries to both his knees on Sunday, according the NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
Roethlisberger was briefly relieved by Mason Rudolph toward the end of the first half on Sunday but returned after the break. He threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in the contest. His return after missing almost all of 2019 with a serious elbow injury has helped fuel Pittsburgh to an 8-0 record and the Steelers’ offensive production could drop significantly without him under center.
Pittsburgh used a combination of Rudolph and Devlin Hodges last season and both quarterbacks had below average numbers en route to an 8-8 finish. Rudolph completed less than 63 percent of his passes and threw for less than 200 yards per game in 10 appearances last season.