Injury-plagued Steelers still control their playoff destiny

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is projected to miss some time with a mid-foot sprain sustained in Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders, and it won't be the first time the team has to play without him. Roethlisberger seems to have avoided a serious injury for the second time this season, but it will still likely result in him missing the upcoming game against the Cleveland Browns.

It's unclear if Roethlisberger will have to miss more than the one game. The Steelers have a bye week after their game against the Browns, and have a tough matchup on the road against the Seattle Seahawks after that. In fact, the schedule from here on out is fairly difficult, with a rematch against the Cincinnati Bengals on the horizon, plus a game against the 8-1 Denver Broncos later in the year.

The Steelers will also play the Browns again to end their year and the second game against the Baltimore Ravens, games that Roethlisberger should be back for. But with a 5-4 record and three games back of the Bengals in the AFC North, the Steelers will have to survive without their franchise quarterback -- something they've already had to do this season.

Roethlisberger played in Pittsburgh's first three games and led the team to a 2-1 record, falling to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the season opener. He played well, throwing for 912 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions in those games. But then in Week 3, he went down with a knee injury and was replaced by backup Mike Vick.

Vick started three games, and the Steelers went 2-1 in those games, as well. After a crushing overtime loss to the division rival Ravens, they rebounded against the San Diego Chargers. For a 35-year-old in his first season with the team, Vick played fine, and he got help from star running back Le'Veon Bell, who put up back-to-back 100-yard games. Then Vick got injured against the Arizona Cardinals, and the Steelers turned to Landry Jones, who led the Steelers to a comeback win before they fell the following week to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Outside of the two offensive stalwarts, the Steelers have been bitten by the injury bug and dealt with other unfortunate situations. Like Bell, wide receiver Martavis Bryant missed time at the beginning of the year due to a suspension, and then he sat out with an injury for what was supposed to be his first game back. So for the first five games, the offense was without a player who poised for a big year.

Starting center Maurkice Pouncey was injured in August and was placed on injured reserve, ending his season before it even began. Pouncey is the best player on Pittsburgh's offensive line and the unit has struggled without him, giving up 22 sacks to opposing defenses.

On defense, starting cornerback Cortez Allen was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury in late October. Will Allen and Stephon Tuitt have also missed time this season. Tuitt was out two games with a knee injury, while Allen missed three games with an ankle injury. Fortunately, both returned against the Raiders.

Linebackers James Harrison, Jarvis Jones and Ryan Shazier have all been regulars on the injury report. Shazier, a promising second-year player, has appeared in just five games this year due to injuries. He has just two sacks and 41 tackles despite being pegged a breakout candidate for this year.

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The banged-up defense is ranked 27th in the league in yards allowed and eighth in the league in points allowed. On offense, despite the crucial injuries, the Steelers have somehow managed to field the league's third-most productive offense. So long as Antonio Brown stays healthy and Williams can keep plugging away, the Steelers should still be dangerous on offense even without Roethlisberger and Bell.