Injured Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger Says He Wants To Play Against Cleveland Browns

Injured Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said on Thursday that the would like to play in his teams regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday despite an ankle injury.

Speaking about his pain management he said:

“As long as I can deal with pain, I’ll be out there,” while adding, “I don’t want to let the guys down, so I’ll do what I can to be out there.”

While Roethlisberger sat out during his teams Sunday victory over the St. Louis Rams he did fully participate in team practice on Thursday.

Ben Roethlisberger sprained his ankle during Pittsburgh’s Dec. 8 meeting against the Cleveland Browns, a diagnosis that was confirmed with the help of an MRI.

At this time the QB is calling his ankle “a little sore.”

Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians acknowledged that the ankle was doing better and noted:

“I want him out there but not at the risk of injuring himself,” Arians said. “If he can’t move around and get out of the way, there’s no sense in getting him out there.”

If Roethlisberger still can’t play Charlie Batch will once again take the QB1 position where he threw for 208 yards to help defeat the St. Louis Rams.

In the meantime the Steelers are still hoping to capture a win. If Pittsburgh wins and the Baltimore Ravens lose to the Cincinnati Bengals they will capture the AFC North championship title.

Given his history of playing with broken and injured body parts I highly suspect he’ll play on Sunday if he’s feeling even moderately better.

Do you think Pittsburgh can win their game on Sunday if Ben Roethlisberger is forced to sit out?

[Image via Joy Fera / Shutterstock.com]