Ben Roethlisberger injures ankle, leaves Thursday practice

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger left practice early on Thursday due to an ankle injury, according to Mike Bires of the Beaver County Times. While Roethlisberger needed to leave the field, Bires stated that the injury did not appear to be serious.

With Roethlisberger unable to finish practice, backup quarterback Byron Leftwich stepped in, taking the remaining reps with the first team. According to Bill Phillips of Channel 11 WPXI, Leftwich stated that he is ready to play if Roethlisberger is required to miss any time. Leftwich's last appearance came in January of 2010 against the Cleveland Browns where he completed 5-of-7 passes for 42 yards.

Through five starts this season, Roethlisberger has completed 64.6% of his passes (128-198) for 1,487 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He has also tacked on an additional 40 rushing yards on seven attempts.

The Steelers are scheduled to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night.

This story was originally published on SBNation.com.