Ben Roethlisberger will return from a knee injury just in time for an important showdown with a divisional rival. The resilient quarterback will be active and in the starting lineup for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 9 contest against the Baltimore Ravens.
Ben Roethlisberger’s ‘big ass’ is back this week
The veteran quarterback will return from a torn meniscus for a key AFC North matchup.
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Roethlisberger suffered a minor meniscus tear in a Week 6 loss to the Miami Dolphins. While he was able to finish that game after being checked out by the team’s training staff, he turned in his worst performance of the season: a 189-yard, two-interception day in which his yards-per-pass attempts were a meager 5.4.
Landry Jones replaced him the following week and was solid if unspectacular against New England. The backup quarterback threw for 281 yards, but needed 47 passes to get there.
Roethlisberger had minor arthroscopic surgery to repair his meniscus following the Dolphins game. The expected recovery time from the injury was between four to six weeks; the veteran passer made it back in just under three.
His quick return was no surprise for Baltimore veteran linebacker Terrell Suggs.
“I saw this movie before, you know,” Suggs said earlier in the week. “He’s gonna act like ‘aw, I’m not playing, I don’t know, I did individual [workouts] a little bit.’ But then he’ll walk his big ass on out there and [I’ll be like] ‘how you doin’ Benjamin.’”
The timing of Roethlisberger’s injury had pros and cons for the Steelers. The four-time Pro Bowler missed a pivotal home game against the AFC-leading Patriots seven days after tearing his meniscus, but had extra time to rest and recover thanks to Pittsburgh’s bye in Week 8.
While Jones went winless as a starter, the Steelers retained their spot atop the AFC North. The Ravens had an opportunity to meet Pittsburgh at the division’s summit, but a Week 7 loss to the then 1-5 New York Jets and a bye pushed them to third in the pecking order. The Cincinnati Bengals could have pushed to within half a game of first place, but instead had to settle for a tie when they faced Washington in London.
If Roethlisberger can lead Pittsburgh to a road win over its longtime rival, he’ll ensure the Steelers hold a 1.5-game lead over the rest of the AFC North. If not, the division will be up for grabs — for everyone but the Cleveland Browns.
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