Keyshawn Johnson explains why the Steelers should be concerned about Ben Roethlisberger’s pectoral injury because of his age and poor offensive line play. (0:45).
PITTSBURGH -- Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger announced Wednesday that he will do everything possible to make Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals possible after suffering a left-pectoral injury during Week 2's loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Roethlisberger stated, "I don’t know how it happened. I just know that it happened early in this game."
Roethlisberger was hit on 10 occasions by quarterbacks in that game. This included a tough one by Maxx Crosby, a defensive end, on fourth-and-4 in the second quarter. Crosby beat right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor using an inside move and his helmet hit Roethlisberger just beneath his left shoulder, close to the Steelers logo on his jersey.
Roethlisberger (39) said that the injury had affected him during the game. However, because he hasn’t attempted a pass since then, it’s unclear how it will affect his throwing motion.
Roethlisberger described the moment he felt the pain from the injury, saying, "Typically, I reach for something beyond the framework of my own body or trying to push off."
Roethlisberger was forced to push off the ground often Sunday after being drilled by Raiders' pass rush.
Roethlisberger stated, "We knew going into there that they had a good rush that would be high-motor guys. We were going after it." You have to be prepared for that. We all have to do better to eliminate hits, have better run games, have more big plays and be more efficient. It's up to us all to make those things happen.
Mike Tomlin, Coach, said Tuesday that it happens too often.
Tomlin stated that Tomlin took too many hits. We can run the ball faster. We can get the ball out of his hands faster. We can keep to our schedule, not let the sticks get in the way of the ball.
Roethlisberger, playing behind a young offensive team, continued to recognize the growing pains that his unit is still going through over two weeks into the season.
He said, "I tell the men a lot. No one has to be amazing." "If we all work together, we can achieve greatness. It's a team effort, offensively. Each play requires 11 men to succeed. Even if one man is a little off, it can have a huge impact on the entire team. We're going to continue learning and improving and finding ways to improve.
Tomlin made the first public disclosure Tuesday about his quarterback's injury and stated that it could impact his week preparations. Roethlisberger is not a stranger to injuries and limited field preparation. Roethlisberger was injured in his knee against the Dallas Cowboys last year and missed practice for the entire week. He was also close to a COVID-19 positive teammate. He did not miss a single game, throwing for 4 touchdowns with 333 yards against Bengals -- Steelers' next opponent in Week 3.
Roethlisberger was open to being asked what he needed to do to be comfortable playing Sunday. He said that "Today is Wednesday" so he had plenty of time to prepare for Sunday.
