Ben Roethlisberger might say he is feeling find after self-reporting a concussion, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are not ready to list him as good-to-go just yet. The quarterback did reportedly pass all of the tests regarding the head injury and got on the practice field, but the Steelers are still leaving the door open for a potential setback as Landry Jones will be ready to start just in case.
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, Roethlisberger is listed as probable for the game against the Indianapolis Colts. The quarterback suffered a concussion against the Seattle Seahawks, but remained in the game until finally taking himself out. Roethlisberger told the media he will never play through a head injury and while he did practice this week, the Steelers are not considering him a lock to play.
While Roethlisberger is preparing to take the field on Sunday night, Heath Miller might not be as lucky. The go-to tight end has not been cleared to play and might not be as he is listed as questionable thanks to a rib injury. He did not practice the past two days and could see his consecutive start streak broken. That could be big for the Steelers as Miller ranks second on the team in catches. Without him, pressure will be put on Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton to step up with Antonio Browns.
Brown has been thriving these past few weeks with Roethlisberger back under center. The wide receiver is really finding his groove right now and the Colts could end up learning that lesson the hard way with their weakened secondary. As both Wheaton and Bryant also improve at this point in the year, head coach Chuck Pagano knows the Colts need to be ready for a breakout game from Brown.
"He's extremely fast, quick," Pagano said, via ESPN.com. "I mean it's really hard to cover this guy. Got good hands, good ball skills, can run the whole route tree. Again, he can run by anybody in this league. He's [got] great burst, long speed, get in and out of cuts, stop on a dime, catch-and-run, the yards after catch, all those things. He's just a dynamic, dynamic guy and his numbers obviously reveal that."
It is safe to assume that Roethlisberger will be on the field in Week 13 which means there should be no changes in the passing game. Without Miller either Bryant or Wheaton will see increased chances on the field. After a big game in Week 12, Wheaton is proving he can be the next safety blanket for the quarterback.
