Steelers coach Mike Tomlin won’t apologize for leaving Ben Roethlisberger in at the end of Pittsbugh’s 20-3 loss to the 49ers. Big Ben wanted to stay in, so he did.
“He and I have been in that situation before,” Tomlin said Tuesday via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I know what kind of competitor he is. I wanted to support him in that.”
Whether Roethlisberger plays Saturday against the Rams is another question. Tomlin wouldn’t commit to a decision on Tuesday, which is no surprise. Tomlin did reveal Mewelde Moore suffered a sprained MCL.
We think the Steelers may as well rest Roethlisberger.
The chances of Pittsburgh getting a playoff bye at this stage are slim. They would need the Texans and the Ravens to lose in the next two weeks. If Pittsburgh needs to win three straight playoff games to make the Super Bowl, they need a healthy Roethlisberger.
It makes a lot of sense to sit Roethlisberger on this short week. The Steelers should be able to handle the Rams in Pittsburgh, even with Charlie Batch at quarterback.
It made sense for the Steelers to go all out Monday night to get a playoff bye. It just didn’t work. Now the focus should be on getting Roethlisberger healthy for the playoffs.