Ben Roethlisberger limped around the Pittsburgh Steelers’ locker room, unsure if his injured left foot might send him to the sideline next week.
The Pittsburgh quarterback certainly had plenty of company in the trainers’ room after the Steelers’ 17-10 loss at Houston on Sunday. The Steelers also lost linebacker James Harrison (eye), running back Rashard Mendenhall (hamstring), defensive end Aaron Smith (foot) and linebacker Jason Worilds (left quadriceps) during the game.
Down the hall in the Texans’ locker room, Houston was concerned about all-pro wide receiver Andre Johnson, who left with a hamstring injury.
It was a tough day for injuries all around the league, with Dallas safety Gerald Sensabaugh (concussion), Tennessee safety Chris Hope (broken arm), Seattle wide receiver Mike Williams (concussion) and Cleveland cornerback Joe Haden (sprained knee) and wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi (shoulder) all leaving their games.
San Diego’s Vincent Jackson was in and out of the Chargers’ 26-16 win over Miami with a muscle strain in one of his legs.
In Houston, Roethlisberger left in a walking boot after he was sacked five times and hurried eight more behind Pittsburgh’s injury-plagued offensive line. He hurt his foot on the second-to-last series when he was tackled from behind, but he remained in the game until the end.
He limped into the locker room about 20 minutes after the game with his arms draped around a pair of Steelers employees and a bandage and a bag of ice wrapped around his injured foot. He sat alone at his chair with his head down and looked to be gazing at his foot for several minutes before putting on the walking boot to limp to the showers.
Roethlisberger had an X-ray after the game but said he didn’t know the results. He said he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to play next week, but talked about how he played last year after breaking his other foot.
“You know me — if I can be out there, I’m going to be out there. That’s so for next week too,” he said.
Harrison left with an apparent eye injury in the second quarter when he was injured in a collision with a Houston player in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, Johnson turned upfield in the second quarter, fell awkwardly forward and clutched the back of his right leg. Texans coach Gary Kubiak said Johnson would undergo tests Sunday night, so his status remained uncertain for next week’s game against Oakland.
