The Pittsburgh Steelers may have dodged a serious blow.
QB Ben Roethlisberger was seen after the Steelers 30-12 playoff victory over the Miami Dolphins sporting a bulky walking boot.
The injury likely occurred on the second-to-last play of the game, when Cameron Wake rolled up on Roethlisberger’s ankle/foot:
Roethlisberger right ankle inversion/plantarflexion injury. Boot was likely early/aggressive tx. Expect X-rays to be negative #steelers #nfl pic.twitter.com/qeykQUdUMm
— DocFlynn (@jessdeede) January 9, 2017
#Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger didn’t leave the win over #Dolphins unscathed. He left Heinz Field with a boot on his right leg. pic.twitter.com/bYmrUSbCi8
— James Walker (@JamesWalkerNFL) January 8, 2017
When asked about the injury & his status for next week’s divisional playoff vs the Kansas City Chiefs; Roethlisberger responded:
We will find out soon, hopefully,” Roethlisberger said. “You’re always worried about being hurt, but I’ll be out there next week.”
Roethlisberger also said he wasn’t surprised he was still in the game with such a sizable lead, saying he “loves being out there with the guys”.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin deserves some criticism here for leaving the decision in the player’s hands. Roethlisberger is the most valuable piece of the Steelers offense by a long shot, and although he’s tough as hell; he’s still human. With the lead Tomlin’s Steelers had; Big Ben should’ve been spectating from the sidelines.
I’m sure Roethlisberger will play, thats not the question. The money question will be how well he’ll be able to dodge the Chiefs rush & move around in general.
If the Steelers win, Tomlin will likely not hear of this decision again, but a loss and he will be answering this question more than i’m sure he’d like to.
