Michael Vick’s reaction when Ben Roethlisberger went down in the third quarter, and he had to grab his helmet and go, said it all. He did score the game’s only touchdown. But the St. Louis offense never could sustain enough to take advantage. An MRI revealed no major structural damage though Roethlisberger will miss multiple starts due to injury for only the second time in his 12-year career.
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Tomlin confirmed that Roethlisberger indeed suffered a sprained MCL ligament in his left knee, but would not speculate on any timetable for his return.
The most obvious answer, of course, is the man who replaced him for the rest of their Week 3 contest: Michael Vick. In relieving Roethlisberger, Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley tightened the ropes on Vick and the offense turning to a much more conservative game plan. Vick fumbled, but teammate Le’Veon Bell recovered. On the ground, Bell rushed for 62 yards on 19 carries.
DeAngelo Williams, who started the first two games at halfback and led the AFC in rushing with 204 yards, played only three snaps and had one carry for two yards.
Any fantasy owners using the Browns defense as a whole or CB extraordinaire Joe Haden in an IDP format will want to know his status. Another day at the office saw Brown catch 11 passes for 108 yards.
Big Ben was the only postgame topic that really mattered to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In past years, that might have meant preparing for Vick’s particular set of skills but Ravens coach John Harbaugh says that won’t be the case in the next few days.
Ryan said it is “certainly a possibility” that Watkins will miss time. No quarterback threw for more yards than Roethlisberger last season, and he registered a 113.1 passer rating before getting hurt this year.
Joe Flacco has completed 55.1 percent of his passes for 863 yards, but he has only four touchdowns through three games with four interceptions. He not only makes big plays on the run, but he can also be an effective pass-rusher, chalking up his second-straight game with a sack.
On third downs, St Louis converted on just two of 10 attempts.
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The inability to effectively run the ball is a significant factor in why the team has scored only 16 points over the last two games. The quarterback told reporters this week it’s a game plan they plan to keep following, early and often. The Steelers will face the Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Oakland Raiders in the time Roethlisberger should be out of action so the potential National Football League impact of this injury could be massive.
