Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is coming off one of the worst performances of his career. In a game that ultimately ended in a tie with the Cleveland Browns, Big Ben threw three interceptions, lost two fumbles and was sacked four times.
It also doesn’t look like the future Hall of Famer came away completely healthy. In talking to the media on Tuesday, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin noted that Roethlisberger is dealing with a minor elbow injury.
Head coach Mike Tomlin says Ben Roethlisberger has a minor elbow issue that may limit him in the early part of the week. But he seems unconcerned, saying #Steelers "oftentimes limit him in the beginning of the week anyway" to give younger guys reps.
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) September 11, 2018
As you can tell, Tomlin seemed to downplay the injury at every possible turn. It’s true Big Ben is usually limited early in the week. If he’s still limited from practice or sidelined altogether later in the week, that’s when this will become a larger concern.
Even then, any time we’re talking about the throwing arm, there has to be a certain level of worry. Big Ben is among the toughest quarterbacks in the NFL. He’s also 36 years old and has been through the ringer in his career.
Following Sunday’s brutal overall performance, Pittsburgh faces an even tougher opponent in that of the Kansas City Chiefs at home in Week 2.