The AFC North matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns on Sunday has question marks hanging over both teams at the quarterback position.
Johnny Manziel, Ben Roethlisberger could be on the sidelines for Browns vs. Steelers
Neither Mike Pettine nor Mike Tomlin would commit to a starter for the Week 10 matchup.
For Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger is likely to sit out this week's game due to a left foot injury he suffered Week 9 against the Raiders. In his stead, the Steelers are planning on turning to backup quarterback Landry Jones.
“[Roethlisberger] will continue to be evaluated today,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday. “We’re preparing to play with Landry. The door is ajar for Ben, but slightly ajar.”
Roethlisberger echoed that statement during a radio interview Tuesday with CBS’ Pittsburgh affiliate.
“I’m not even going to rule myself out this week,” Roethlisberger said. “I’m going to take it one day at a time.”
Jones came in for Roethlisberger midway through the fourth quarter last week against the Raiders and proceeded to lead Pittsburgh to a 38-35 home win, completing 4 of 6 passes for 79 yards. His 57-yard completion to Antonio Brown set up Chris Boswell's game-winning 18-yard field goal with two seconds left on the clock.
If Roethlisberger can't go against the Browns, it would be his fifth missed game of the year. A knee injury kept him out of four games earlier in the season. In his place, the Steelers originally started Mike Vick, who was injured in Week 6 against the Cardinals. Jones then entered the game, which the Steelers went on to win. The following week, Jones started against the Chiefs, but the Steelers only put up 13 points in a road loss.
Jones, a 2013 fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma, has completed 59.6 percent of his passes this season for 456 yards and three touchdowns. He’s thrown two interceptions.
On the other side of the field the Browns are preparing to hand the ball to Josh McCown -- if he's healthy. McCown, who is dealing with a rib injury, missed last Thursday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. McCown didn't practice on Tuesday, but head coach Mike Pettine said that McCown will start if his ribs don't need extra protection. The Steelers also said they're preparing for McCown to start.
During his press conference on Tuesday, Pettine was asked why he's still going with the veteran McCown as opposed to second-year quarterback Johnny Manziel, who started last week in the Browns' 31-10 loss to the Bengals:
#Browns Pettine said he gets the call for "why not'' start Manziel, but "we're tasked as coaches to win games.''
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) November 10, 2015 Manziel has gone 1-1 as a starter this season, but there’s still question as to whether he’s ready to be the full-time starter in Cleveland:
Pettine on Manziel: "He's proven that he can and he's getting better, but NFL QB's, the throws that are there, you have to take." #Browns
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) November 10, 2015 McCown has gone 1-6 as a starter this season, completing 65 percent of his passes for 1,897 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. Manziel has completed 52 percent of his passes, with four touchdowns and one interception.
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