Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger played with cracked ribs in loss to Raiders, per report

It looks like Ben Roethlisberger’s rib injuries may be worse than a few bruises. According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback suffered several cracked ribs during the Week 14 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Roethlisberger took a hard hit in the first half of that game, and was holding his midsection in pain.

He was questionable to return during the game, but eventually did after the first four offensive possessions of the second half.

Coach Mike Tomlin was vague about why it took Roethlisberger so long to return to the game. Eventually, it came out that a pain-killing shot and an antiquated X-ray machine had delayed Roethlisberger’s return. It took some time for the shot to take effect, and Oakland’s old (possibly Flintstone-era) X-ray machine didn’t deliver clear, conclusive results.

It’s unclear when the diagnosis came down. The official word from Tomlin earlier in the week was that Roethlisberger had several rib bruises, and the Steelers haven’t yet said otherwise. However, it doesn’t look like it’ll change his outlook or availability. With cracked ribs, all you can really do is wrap the injury and manage the pain. Roethlisberger is still expected to start on Sunday against the New England Patriots.

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