The Steelers started Landry Jones at quarterback on Sunday and the plan was for him to pilot the offense all day with Ben Roethlisberger serving as the team’s backup.
That went out the window in the first quarter when Jones hurt his ankle and forced Roethlisberger into the game a week after his own foot injury forced him out of the lineup. There weren’t any signs that the injury was a problem.
Roethlisberger completed 22-of-33 passes for 379 yards and three touchdowns to get the Steelers to 6-4 heading into the bye week. His answer to a question about his quick recovery from injury may also get him some endorsement dollars from the dairy industry.
“I drank a lot of milk,” Roethlisberger said. “It kind of surprised me and everyone else because I was in a boot. On Monday, my foot was basically black and blue. It’s more than just me. It’s the training staff -- John Norwig and the doctors and everyone. We were tireless in our rehab and trying to get ready. It was a day-by-day process, and I was just telling coach how I felt.”
Roethlisberger now has two weeks before the Steelers have to play again and says he doesn’t expect to “be limited moving forward.” There wasn’t anything about his performance on Sunday to make you think he’s wrong about that or that the Steelers would be wrong to think that they can end this season with a trip to the playoffs.