Despite missing most of the second half in Oakland due to an injury to his ribs, Ben Roethlisberger expects to play next Sunday against the New England Patriots.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter passed along Big Ben’s comments on Twitter Sunday evening.
The Pittsburgh Steelers desperately need Roethlisberger to play next week. With Sunday’s devastating loss, they’ve now dropped three in a row and are still just a half-game ahead of the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North.
Roethlisberger exiting Sunday’s game in Oakland had plenty to do with the loss. When he played, Pittsburgh was able to move the ball offensively. Big Ben completed 25-of-29 passes for 282 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
His replacement, Joshua Dobbs, was abysmal. He completed 4-of-9 passes for just 24 yards with no touchdowns an and interception.
Needless to say, it would be extremely detrimental to Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes if Roethlisberger is unable to play next weekend at home against New England.