With the soreness in Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s shoulder and chest starting to diminish, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says Roethlisberger could start on Sunday against the Chargers.
“Ben will be given an opportunity to prove whether or not he is healthy,” Tomlin said at his press conference today. “Obviously Charlie Batch is our guy game planning right now.”
Roethlisberger having an opportunity to prove that he can play is a step in the right direction, although Tomlin’s comments sounded less optimistic than a report Tuesday in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which said the Steelers expect Roethlisberger to play. The Steelers, who have gone 1-2 without Roethlisberger, still control their playoff destiny, although they don’t have a lot of room for error with the Bengals chasing them for the final wild card spot in the AFC.
Tomlin also confirmed that cornerback Ike Taylor has a fracture in his right ankle and will miss a couple weeks, and that offensive tackle Mike Adams is out for at least another week.