Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger left the second quarter of the team’s 30-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday with a left knee injury that he suffered before throwing an interception, and now we have an update with more details of the injury.
Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Roethlisberger suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee and needs surgery:
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has a torn meniscus in left knee and will have surgery Monday morning. No timetable for his return.
— Ron Cook (@RonCookPG) October 17, 2016
Pro Football Talk confirms the report, and mentions how it’s impressive that Roethlisberger actually returned to the game in the second half:
Confirmed: Torn meniscus for Ben Roethlisberger and surgery tomorrow. He should get a little credit for playing with it. — ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 17, 2016
Roethlisberger certainly deserves credit for that… but it’s also questionable that the Steelers’ staff felt he was healthy enough to go back into the game.
Landry Jones is expected to start at quarterback for the Steelers in Week 7 against the New England Patriots, but Pittsburgh gets a much-needed Bye in Week 8. Either way, Roethlsiberger figures to miss at least one game, and likely multiple games.
The good news for Pittsburgh (4-2) is they still have a one-game lead in the AFC South, so they should still have a great shot at the division crown once Roethlisberger returns.