After taking himself out of the Week 12 game against the Seattle Seahawks, Ben Roethlisberger fully expects to be back on the field come Sunday. The Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves in hot water following a hit to the head on their quarterback who remained in the game before removing himself. However, while under concussion protocol, Roethlisberger returned to practice and expects to start the game on Sunday.
According to NFL Media's Aditi Kinkhabwala, Roethlisberger passes the concussion tests and is set to practice on Wednesday with the expectation that he will play in Week 13. According to the quarterback, he plays through a lot of injuries, but a head injury is something he takes very seriously. However, while being put under concussion protocol, the quarterback told the media he actually was diagnosed with a migraine and will be fine for the coming game.
"I have played through many injuries, but the brain is not an injury you want to play with," Roethlisberger said, via ESPN.com. "When you're done, you want to be a husband or father. And if I have these brain injuries, it's not worth it."
This is certainly good news for the Steelers who remain just outside of the playoff picture. The team was prepared to start Landry Jones is the need presented itself, but having a healthy Roethlisberger is certainly the better option. With the passing game finding its momentum, Roethlisberger is the quarterback to carry that out in the coming games.
With Roethlisberger back under center, players like Markus Wheaton and Antonio Brown remain fantasy starters for the team. Wheaton is coming off a career day and the Steelers are hopeful that he can repeat the success in Week 13. According to the wide receiver, the big game was nice, but it ultimately meant nothing since the team got the loss.
The Steelers need another big game from Brown and Wheaton if Heath Miller is unable to play. The tight end went down in the Week 12 game with a rib injury and could be out Sunday. According to Dale Lolley of the Observer-Reporter, Miller still has a chance to play on Sunday even if he does not see much practice time this week. If he is unable to play, Matt Spaeth or Jesse James would take over in the offense. Wheaton understands that without Miller, he and the other receivers need a big game.
"When Heath went down, I kind of stepped in," Wheaton said, via ESPN.com. "Those two guys on the outside have been making a lot of splash plays. Obviously teams would want to take that away."
