The Pittsburgh Steelers have been overcoming injuries all season and if they are going to get in the conference championships, they will have to do so once more. The Steelers continue to deal with issues to some of their biggest names and it is only getting worse as they prepare to play the Denver Broncos. With injuries stacking up on the roster, who is going to play and who is not?
According to ESPN's Bob Holtzman, Ben Roethlisberger is expected to play after suffering a shoulder injury against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, Antonio Brown is not looking good after he too suffered an injury in the game. Roethlisberger is dealing with a sprained AC join while Brown is under concussion protocol after a hit from linebacker Vontaze Burfict.
Holtzman reports that the Steelers are prepared for Roethlisberger to play regardless of the injury. The shoulder is simply a sprain and some recovery might be all it needs to get back to normal. If for some reason the quarterback was unable to play against the Broncos, Landry Jones will get the nod in the playoff game. The backup quarterback told the media that he is preparing for anything come game time and is confident that he can step up is needed.
"I don't know what the doctors have said. I haven't heard anything of what is going on with Ben. But I'm going to prepare and get ready to go for Denver. Nothing's going to change even if they say he's cleared to play. I'm going to prepare like I've prepared all year," Jones said, via the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
The status on Brown is not as optimistic. Brown is not at the luxury of determining whether or not he is healthy. The NFL will make that decision which means he is iffy at best to get on the field. While cornerback Adam Jones has claimed Brown is faking the injury, the protocol remains in place which means Brown will have to pass tests to get on the field. If he were unable to play, Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton will have to step up in a big way along with Heath Miller who was quiet in the Wild Card game.
The other question mark is DeAngelo Williams who missed the Wild Card game with an injury. According to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, Williams would miss the divisional game as well as he prepares to visit a foot specialist. Williams has not playerd since Week 17. In his place, Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman filled in. They combined for 123 yards on 28 carries. That might not be good enough to beat the Broncos.