Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin held his weekly press conference Tuesday to discuss his team's forthcoming game against the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday, Nov. 27. Pittsburgh enjoyed a bye week last Sunday and was able to rest, recover, and game-plan for the Chiefs.
Perhaps the best news to come from Tomlin's press conference is that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is healthy enough to play Sunday. Roethlisberger fractured the thumb on his right (throwing) hand in the Steelers' previous outing, a victory against the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 13, and is still in pain. Nonetheless, he is likely to play against Kansas City. Fortunately, his thumb injury isn't as severe as the one Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler suffered over the weekend, Tomlin said; Cutler's injury requires surgery and will force him to miss the rest of the season. Further, he said Roethlisberger "threw pretty well" in Monday's practice despite the pain in his thumb.
Tomlin also addressed the statuses of other injured Steelers, including wide receivers Hines Ward, Arnaz Battle, and Emmanuel Sanders, as well as linebacker LaMarr Woodley. The coach said he has decided to limit Woodley and Battle in practice, while Sanders is "working his way back." In addition, Tomlin has yet to decide on Ward's role against the Chiefs, as he and his coaching staff are still working on the game plan.
At 7-3, the Steelers are tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the lead in the AFC North. The 4-5 Chiefs are No. 3 in the AFC West. Sunday's kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 Eastern.