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It's not as if Ben Roethlisberger was expected to put together a Favre-ian consecutive games played streak. What was expected, though, was Roethlisberger sitting out the Steelers' Week 11 game against the Baltimore Ravens.
ESPN is confirming that is indeed the case, meaning Byron Leftwich will get his first NFL start since 2009, when he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Don't expect the team to corroborate the story, but the injury report will likely reveal Roethlisberger's fate no later than Friday.
Roethlisberger has an SC joint sprain, and depending on the severity of the sprain, could miss up to 4-6 weeks. The Steelers (6-3, 1-0 AFC North) take on division rival Cleveland in Week 12, then are at Baltimore in Week 13. They're currently two games up on San Diego for the final Wild Card spot in the AFC, and take on the Chargers in Week 14.
No timetable has been given for Roethlisberger's return, but the Steelers are 0-4 throughout Roethlisberger's career in games against Baltimore when he doesn't play.