Report: Ben Roethlisberger expects he will be able to play against the Patriots

Despite being forced to sit out all but the final five minutes of the second half against the Oakland Raiders because of a rib injury suffered when he was sacked, Ben Roethlisberger appeared surprisingly confident he would be able to play next Sunday when talking to reporters after the game.

Set to face the New England Patriots in a crucial matchup at Heinz Field in Week 15, Big Ben seemed less concerned about the severity of his injury than you would expect for a player only put back into the game in the dying moments because the Steelers were losing. However, when asked about the details of his injury, he deferred those questions to his head coach, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

”You’re asking how I feel during a football game where I’m getting beat up. So, I felt OK.”

But not so beat up he will not be able to play in Week 15.

Mike Tomlin had little information to share about the severity of Roethlisberger's injury when speaking to the media during his post-game press conference.

“Ben had a rib injury, he was able to come back into the game. Nothing else to specifically mention. I’ll update you a little later in the week obviously.”

Even if he did acknowledge that his quarterback could have come back into the game earlier than he did.

With James Conner a question mark for Week 15 already, Pittsburgh will be in dire straits against the Patriots if Big Ben cannot play. A game that looked to be a mammoth task even before the season began would be a nightmare matchup without Roethlisberger under center.