The Pittsburgh Steelers have determined the injury quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered during his team's 17-10 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday is a sprained left foot, reports Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com, citing sources. The upshot is that Roethlisberger's foot is not broken, as initially feared after the game. Still, the injury could force him to miss this Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans, though Mortensen's sources declined to speculate as to Roethlisberger's status for that game.
Fortunately for Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger has played through foot pain before, taking the field last season even with a broken right foot. With the Steelers languishing at 2-2, they need Roethlisberger relatively healthy if they are to get back into contention in the AFC North.
That fact becomes especially apparent when one considers Pittsburgh's alternatives at quarterback. 37-year-old Charlie Batch is Roethlisberger's backup, with Dennis Dixon serving as the third-stringer. Batch has thrown just 51 passes in the last two seasons, while the 26-year-old Dixon has made only four appearances in his three-year professional career.