Big Ben Injured In Thursday’s Game But Returns For Second Half

Added on Dec 08, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

NFL

No one has ever suggested that Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger isn’t a tough dude. That fact was clearly underscored on Thursday night when he took a hard hit from Cleveland Browns’ lineman Scott Paxon in the second quarter. ‘Big Ben’ limped off the field with an apparent ankle injury and backup Charlie Batch played the rest of the half.

Roethlisberger was quickly X-rayed, and the results indicated no immediately visible break or injury. He was seen throwing on the sidelines near the end of the halftime break and returned to action on the Steelers’ first offensive possession, though he appeared to be limping and suffering from limited mobility. Despite clearly suffering some sort of injury it has to be a relief for the Steelers and their fans since early (and incorrect) reports indicated that Roethlisberger had suffered a torn ACL–almost certainly a season ending injury. It certainly didn’t look good at the time as Roethlisberger had to be helped into the dressing room by two members of the Steelers’ training staff. At the time of his departure Roethlisberger had completed eight of nine passes for 102 yards and one touchdown and the Steelers led 7-3.

Live odds services reflected the improbable return–Roethlisberger’s status went from ‘questionable’ for the second half to ‘will not return’ to ‘probable’ for the second half in a matter of minutes.

The Steelers are currently tied pending the outcome of Thursday’s game with the Baltimore Ravens at 9-3. Baltimore holds the tie-breaker so every win is essential for Pittsburgh going down the stretch in the regular season. Pittsburgh has a tough road game against San Francisco on deck next week followed by a home game against St. Louis and a return date at Cleveland. The Browns are 4-8 and in last place in the AFC Central. The NFL betting line on the game had the home standing Steelers installed as a -14 point favorite with the total set at 40. Most sportsbooks pulled halftime betting off the board due to the uncertain status of Roethlisberger’s return, but some books did post a line of -7 and O/U 20. Despite this, most football betting enthusiasts were also ‘in the dark’ and couldn’t handicap the second half.