The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Denver Broncos in the wildcard round on Sunday, January 8. Unfortunately for them, they will be down one of their biggest offensive weapons. No, I’m not talking about Ben Roethlisberger. The quarterback is expected to be fine for the game. Instead, Pittsburgh will have to win without their top running back. The Steelers have placed Rashard Mendenhall on the injured reserve list as a result of a torn ACL. Without him, the Steelers will need other backs to step up and run the football if they want to advance past the Broncos.

Mendenhall suffered the torn ACL in the regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns. Mendenhall had just eight carries at the time he suffered the injury. The diagnosis was later confirmed by the Steelers and the move to place him on the IR list was done swiftly. Mendenhall will have surgery later in January and need at least several months to recover from the ACL injury. However, there is still reason to believe he will make a full recovery. ACL injuries can vary in how long they take to heal but the hope is that Mendenhall will be able to play in the 2012 season opener. With the time of the injury, that will be a question mark. But he will see the field in 2012.

Without Mendenhall, the Steelers are down their top rusher. He leads the team with 928 yards on the ground and nine touchdowns. His 228 carries are more than twice the total of any other running back on the team. Isaac Redman figures to take the bulk of the carries against Denver. He ran the ball 19 times against the Browns in the regular season finale and has 479 rushing yards on the season. The performance of Redman will be key for the Steelers, especially given the sore ankle for Roethlisberger. But he has proven himself to be a capable backup and should perform well in this game. But even if that happens, the Steelers will still miss the big play potential of their top back. More than ever, the Steelers will have to rely on their stellar defense.

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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and safety Troy Polamalu each attended a full practice Friday and are listed as probable for the regular-season finale in Cleveland on Sunday.

Roethlisberger practiced all week after missing last Saturday’s 27-0 win over the St. Louis Rams because of a high ankle sprain. The injury occurred three weeks ago in a home win against the Browns, but he played the following Monday in San Francisco and threw three interceptions in a 20-3 loss.

Polamalu (knee) did not practice until Friday but is expected to start Sunday. Center Maurkice Pouncey missed the past two games with a high ankle sprain but said he’s going to play.

Linebacker James Harrison (neck) and wide receivers Mike Wallace (ankle) and Emmanuel Sanders (foot) are listed as probable.

LaMarr Woodley (hamstring) is doubtful after not practicing Friday, and Jason Worilds likely will make his seventh start at outside linebacker.

The playoff-bound Steelers need a win and a Baltimore loss at Cincinnati to win the AFC North and earn a first-round bye.

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is saying that he is optimistic that Ben Roethlisberger will be able to start against the Cleveland Browns for the final week of the season. That noise you hear now is every Steelers fan letting out a resounding “why?”

It was debatable whether Roethlisberger should play against the San Francisco 49ers two weeks ago but after the Ravens lost it made sense. After Roethlisberger looked terrible, looked injured and the 49ers defense destroyed him it made less sense to start him last week. Now after the Steelers won without Roethlisberger last week it seems to make no sense for Roethlisberger to start this week.

The Steelers have a chance to win the AFC North, which means a first round bye in the playoffs and the Steelers could even slip into the first seed overall and get home field throughout the playoffs. Obviously everybody would prefer to get the first round bye but not if it means risking Roethlisberger’s health and costing the Steelers a trip to the Super Bowl. The Steelers can go to the Super Bowl if they are the five seed. They can’t go to the Super Bowl if Roethlisberger is injured.

Benching Roethlisberger doesn’t guarantee that the Steelers give up the division either. Last week the Steelers not only won without Roethlisberger but they won by a score of 27-0. They did it the way that Pittsburgh traditionally wins, running and defense. Sure, their opponent was the St. Louis Rams who are currently in the running for the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. The Cleveland Browns aren’t exactly Super Bowl contenders either though.

The Browns are playing without their starting quarterback Colt McCoy-who has been out since suffering a concussion after a hit from James Harrison in the two teams’ last meeting-and their offense only ranks 29^th in the league. The Steelers’ defense also seems to step up when Roethlisberger doesn’t play. Last week the defense shut out the Rams and last season when Roethlisberger missed four games the defense only allowed 12.5 points per game against four teams that had a combined record of 41-23 by the end of the season.

The offense won’t be completely the same if Roethlisberger doesn’t play but it won’t be bad either. Cleveland’s defense ranks 10^th in the NFL but that is largely because of a pass defense that ranks 2^nd in the NFL. Cleveland’s rush defense is actually only 30^th in the NFL and not far off from the Rams defense that the Steelers ran all over last week.

The Steelers can beat the Browns even if Roethlisberger doesn’t play and then their fate lies in the hands of the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals game. The Bengals game will be much tougher for the Ravens. Besides the fact that the Ravens choke in big situations, you also have a Bengals team that will be pumped to hold on to their playoff spot. If the Bengals win they clinch only their third playoff spot in 20 years. The game is also in Cincinnati where the stadium has sold out for only the second time this year.

The Steelers should rest Roethlisberger one more week and it’s possible Pittsburgh still gets the first round bye. Even if the Ravens win and the Steelers are the fifth seed every Steelers fan has faith that Roethlisberger can navigate the Steelers through the playoffs one more time. Nobody has faith that Charlie Batch can do it if Roethlisberger plays and makes his ankle worse.

Sources:

Tomlin optimistic Roethlisberger could start at Cleveland, Chicago Tribune

The last several generations of Lee Andrew Henderson’s family were Pittsburgh born and even though he was born in Alabama he has been a long time fan of the Pirates, Steelers and Panthers. Lee Andrew Henderson can be found on Twitter at @LeeAHenderson

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The Pittsburgh Steelers had no problems getting by without Ben
Roethlisberger in their latest game, and there’s a chance they could give their
ailing quarterback another week to rest during their regular-season finale.

The potential for an even more significant week off may sway that decision.

A first-round bye is in sight for the Steelers with a victory over the host
Cleveland Browns on Sunday and some help, but otherwise they’d likely need to
win three times on the road to make a return trip to the Super Bowl.

After suffering a high ankle sprain in a 14-3 win over Cleveland in Week 14,
Roethlisberger played through pain in a 20-3 loss at San Francisco 11 days
later, throwing three interceptions as Pittsburgh blew a chance to stay in the
driver’s seat for the AFC’s top seed.

Needing two wins and a Baltimore loss to win the AFC North and guarantee at
least a first-round bye, the Steelers (11-4) rested Roethlisberger in favor of
Charlie Batch last weekend against St. Louis. Batch threw for 208 yards while
Pittsburgh rode a 116-yard rushing performance from Rashard Mendenhall and a
dominant defensive effort to a 27-0 win.

Baltimore held off a late rally by the Browns to win 20-14 that same day,
but the division’s current leader – by virtue of a head-to-head sweep of the
Steelers – hardly has it easy in Week 17. The Ravens travel to Cincinnati, where
a win would put the Bengals in the playoffs as the AFC’s No. 6 seed and third
qualifier from the North.

A Baltimore loss and Pittsburgh win would give the Steelers the No. 2 seed,
and potentially No. 1 should New England falter. But anything else leaves
Pittsburgh as the AFC’s fifth seed with no week off, almost certainly requiring
the defending conference champions to win three road games to reach a fourth
Super Bowl in seven years.

“There are some scenarios that can unfold, where we can improve our playoff
position,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “We are aware of that. We are also aware that
all of those scenarios include us winning this football game. We are going to do
what we deem necessary for us to put ourselves in position to do that.”

Tomlin said Tuesday that both Roethlisberger and center Maurkice Pouncey -
who’s also nursing a high ankle sprain – have “a shot” to play against Cleveland
(4-11).

The fifth-year coach isn’t sure if Roethlisberger – named Tuesday to his
second Pro Bowl – will be able to practice, but even if he can’t, Tomlin figures
to wait until close to game time to make a decision.

While the Steelers need help from the Bengals – offensive lineman Trai Essex
said he “might peek a couple of times” at the scoreboard – they’re focused on
the Browns, especially considering they didn’t put the Dec. 8 meeting away until
a 79-yard Roethlisberger-to-Antonio Brown touchdown with 2:52 left.

“Cleveland’s going to do whatever they can to put a damper on our season as
much as possible,” Essex told the Steelers’ official website. “They’re not
having the year I’m sure they wanted to, but whenever we play against each other
it doesn’t matter what our record is, we’re going to get their best and they’re
going to get ours.”

Roethlisberger isn’t the only quarterback to have sustained a potentially
significant injury in the first meeting. Browns quarterback Colt McCoy took a
helmet-to-helmet shot from Steelers linebacker James Harrison late in the fourth
quarter, a hit that drew Harrison a one-game suspension and opened the door to
Cleveland’s coaching staff receiving plenty of criticism.

McCoy returned to the game, but was later diagnosed with a concussion. The
decision to send him back in led to the NFL instituting a policy that requires
teams to have a certified athletic trainer in the press box help medical staffs
evaluate injured players.

One of the harshest critics of the Browns’ handling of the situation was
none other than Harrison, who said last week that Cleveland should be
disciplined since he was docked one game.

As for his play, Harrison claims he’s lowered his target area. Browns
linebacker D’Qwell Jackson isn’t so sure.

“Harrison is who he is and whether you fine him, you suspend him, he’s not
going to change,” Jackson said.

McCoy, who missed the past two games, has not been medically cleared and is
unlikely to return for the finale. Seneca Wallace figures to get the call again
after throwing for 373 yards, two TDs and an interception in losses to the
Cardinals and Ravens.

“We have to try to take advantage of every opportunity and make sure we do
it at 100 percent,” Wallace said. “Do it at a high level and minimize mistakes.
Against teams in this division, we can’t give them easy ones.”

As long as Roethlisberger’s been in Pittsburgh, matchups with Cleveland have
typically been just that. The Steelers are 13-1 against the Browns with
Roethlisberger starting, and he’s thrown seven touchdown passes without a pick
in his last four visits to Cleveland.

“You never want to lose to Cleveland,” Steelers safety Ryan Clark said.
“When you are in this city, when you play for this organization, that’s a game
you don’t want to lose.”

Kickoff: Browns vs. Steelers, Sunday, 4:15 p.m. at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Record: 11-4.

Most recent game: Beat St. Louis Rams, 27-0, Saturday in Pittsburgh.

Coach: Mike Tomlin, 59-27, fifth year.

Series record: 63-56 (counting postseason).

Most recent meeting: Steelers won, 14-3, Dec. 8, in Pittsburgh.

League rankings: Offense is 11th overall (16th rushing, ninth passing); defense is first (ninth rushing, first passing) and turnover differential is minus-12.

Offensive overview:

Ben Roethlisberger, injured in the Dec. 8 meeting, hobbled through a four-interception game 10 days later against San Francisco and then sat out the Rams game on Saturday. The Steelers would prefer Roethlisberger play a half or so on Sunday to keep him sharp for the playoffs. Center Maurkice Pouncey, also injured in the first Browns meeting, might not be ready. Since backup center Doug Legursky also is out, next man up at center is backup guard Trai Essex. This would force previously demoted Chris Kemoeatu to starting left guard. The offensive line has been a revolving door all year, and, given Roethlisberger’s ankle injury, it would appear to call for a more traditional game plan tailored for running back Rashard Mendenhall. He had his first 100-yard game in nine weeks against the Rams.

Defensive overview:

Outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley, who missed the Dec. 8 game with a hamstring injury, is expected back for Sunday’s game. That’s one headache for the Browns. The other is serial headhunter James Harrison. After his one-game suspension for the cheap shot on Browns quarterback Colt McCoy, yet another offense could affect Harrison’s playoff availability. He had no questionable incidents against the Rams. With the Steelers’ pass rush as fearsome as ever, the improvement in this unit continues to be in the secondary. Keenan Lewis and rookie Cortez Brown have emerged as surprise contributors when the defense adds a fifth and sixth defensive back.

Special teams overview:

Kicker Shaun Suisham is 21-of-28 in field goals with a long of 51 yards. He has 27 touchbacks. Punter Jeremy Kapinos has a gross average of 45.0 yards and a net of 38.1. Antonio Brown has a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown. He is ninth in the NFL with a punt-return average of 10.8 yards and is third in kickoff return average (27.7).

Players to watch

* Linebacker James Harrison: In two of the past three meetings, he has taken out Mohamed Massaquoi, Josh Cribbs and Colt McCoy with hits. Two of the three were deemed illegal, and he was suspended one game for the brutal helmet-to-facemask kill shot to McCoy.

* Running back Rashard Mendenhall: His 116 rushing yards were the most he had since Game 6 against Jacksonville. He needs 110 for his third straight 1,000-yard season.

* Safety Troy Polamalu: He was all over the field in the first meeting, and influenced just about every play at the end when the Browns had a chance to take the lead.

Injury report

OL Legursky (shoulder) is out. WR Emmanuel Sanders (foot) missed the past three games. C Pouncey (high ankle) missed the past two games. QB Roethlisberger (high ankle) missed the last game.

Small world

Former Browns coaches include Bruce Arians (offensive coordinator), John Mitchell (defensive line) and Keith Butler (linebackers). . . . Quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner was born in Cleveland and is the son of former Browns DB Ross Fichtner. . . . Linebacker Harrison is an Akron native and played at Kent State. . . . Quarterback Roethlisberger is a native of Findlay, Ohio, and played at Miami (Ohio).