PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t want his sprained left ankle to keep him out of Pittsburgh’s regular-season finale Sunday in Cleveland against the Browns.

“As long as I can deal with pain, I’ll be out there,” Roethlisberger said Thursday. “I don’t want to let the guys down, so I’ll do what I can to be out there.”

Roethlisberger, who sat out the Steelers’ 27-0 win last Sunday against the St. Louis Rams, fully participated in practice again Thursday. He said the ankle, sprained on Dec. 8 in Pittsburgh’s last meeting with the Browns, was “a little sore.”

Roethlisberger was injured against Cleveland when he was sacked in the second quarter by Browns defensive linemen Scott Paxson and Brian Schaefering. He returned to the game and then played all of Pittsburgh’s next game, a 20-3 loss to the 49ers in San Francisco on Dec. 19.

Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said he was “much more” confident in Roethlisberger’s ability to play this Sunday against the Browns after watching the quarterback’s mobility improve in Thursday’s practice.

Roethlisberger will play if he’s healthy, Arians said.

“I want him out there but not at the risk of injuring himself,” Arians said. “If he can’t move around and get out of the way, there’s no sense in getting him out there.”

There’s plenty at stake against the Browns as the Steelers (11-4) remain in the hunt for the AFC North championship. To win it, they need a win vs. Cleveland and hope the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

If Roethlisberger can’t play, 37-year-old Charlie Batch, who threw for 208 yards in the Steelers’ win over the Rams, is available.

Guard Doug Legursky (shoulder) and safety Troy Polamalu (knee) sat out for the second straight practice Thursday. Linebacker James Harrison, who sat out Wednesday’s practice with a neck injury, and receiver Mike Wallace (ankle), who was limited in practice Wednesday, participated fully Thursday.

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin believes injured
quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and center Maurkice Pouncey both
have “a shot” to play in Sunday’s regular season finale at
Cleveland.

“It is our intention right now that if those guys are healthy
enough to practice and prepare, then we will play them,” Tomlin
said Tuesday.

Given the way backups Charlie Batch and Trai Essex handled
themselves in a 27-0 win over St. Louis last Saturday, the Steelers
(11-4) may not need Roethlisberger or Pouncey to hurry back from
their badly sprained left ankles to keep the team’s hopes of an AFC
North title alive.

Batch played effectively against the Rams, passing for 208 yards
while showing there’s still some life in his 37-year-old legs. He
extended plays with his mobility and even threw the ball downfield,
hitting Mike Wallace for a 46-yard gain in the fourth quarter that
set up the clinching touchdown.

“I thought he did some really good things,” Tomlin said of
Batch. “(But) his performance has no bearing on how we go about
making the decisions that are right for us this week. A lot of the
decisions center around Roethlisberger’s health. But I like the way
Batch played, not only the way he performed but the way he led and
communicated.”

It’s what Batch has done with consistency while subbing for
Roethlisberger through the years. The Pittsburgh native is 5-2 when
starting in relief and had the Heinz Field crowd chanting “Charlie!
Charlie!” after a handful of plays.

The moment wasn’t lost on Batch.

“I think that they have appreciated what I have done, and what I
am doing to help this team win,” he said. “I embraced it.”

And he’ll embrace trying to do it on the road against the Browns
(4-11) if necessary.

Pittsburgh can win the division with a victory in Cleveland and
a loss by Baltimore in Cincinnati. It can even gain the top overall
seed in the AFC with a win and losses by both the Ravens and
Patriots.

It’s why Tomlin isn’t quite ready to rule out Roethlisberger.
The coach isn’t sure if Roethlisberger will be able to practice
this week, but even if the quarterback doesn’t, Tomlin expects to
wait until the last minute before making a decision.

“There are some scenarios that can unfold, where we can improve
our playoff position,” 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.”

And even Batch understands that when relatively healthy few
quarterbacks can do what Roethlisberger can do.

“This is Ben’s team,” Batch said. “This team moves with him and
to see him do everything in his power to get back on the field is
really something special to watch.”

Pouncey sat out the last two games and backup Doug Legursky went
out early against the Rams with a left shoulder injury. Enter
Essex, who hadn’t taken a snap at center all season. He performed
admirably, helping the Steelers gash St. Louis for 169 yards on the
ground.

“It was under unusual circumstances,” Tomlin said. “To have a
guy come in and deliver the way he delivered for us, not only in
terms of snapping the football but declaring fronts and blocking
people in the run game, it was just a special afternoon for
him.”

Legursky is out for Sunday, and if Pouncey can’t play Essex will
get the call again, though Tomlin sounded optimistic Pouncey will
be ready.

Linebacker LaMarr Woodley (strained left hamstring), and wide
receiver Emmanuel Sanders (right foot) could also play in
Cleveland.

Tomlin will not rest players just to rest them, but could modify
the amount of playing time depending on how things shake out
elsewhere, particularly if Baltimore gets up big on Cincinnati and
the Steelers know they’ll have to start the playoffs on the road
the weekend of Jan. 7-8.

“Those are the easy decisions I can make as the game and
situations unfold,” Tomlin said. “Some of them are obvious. …
That’s not rocket science as far as we’re concerned.”

By Evan Dunlap

– Newsdesk contributor

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Dec 27, 2011 – Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin held his weekly press conference Tuesday to address his team’s forthcoming game against the Cleveland Browns and the injury statuses of his players.

According to Tomlin, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (ankle), linebacker LaMarr Woodley (hamstring), center Maurkice Pouncey (ankle), and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (foot) all have a chance to play Sunday. Roethlisberger sat out Pittsburgh’s win against the St. Louis Rams as Charlie Batch filled in. Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is dubious of that idea. “Tomlin has ALWAYS approached Week 17 like every other game on the schedule,” Kaboly tweeted. “Saying that, he’s nuts to start [Roethlisberger, Pouncey, and Woodley].”

The outlook for running back Mewelde Moore (knee) and guard Doug Legursky (shoulder) is less optimistic, the Steelers coach said. Neither is likely to play against Cleveland. Moore is recovering from an MCL sprain, while Legursky will likely need another week off after sublexing his shoulder against the Rams.

Kickoff between the Steelers and Browns is set for this Sunday, Jan. 1, at 4:15 PM. CBS has the national telecast.

For more on the Steelers, please visit Behind the Steel Curtain, SB Nation’s Steelers blog. For the perspective from the other side, please visit SB Nation Cleveland and Dawgs by Nature, SB Nation’s Browns blog.

Read More: Charlie Batch (QB – PIT), Ben Roethlisberger (QB – PIT), Mewelde Moore (RB – PIT), LaMarr Woodley (LB – PIT), Doug Legursky (C – PIT), Maurkice Pouncey (C – PIT), Emmanuel Sanders (WR – PIT), Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns, Jan 1, 2012 4:15 PM EST

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On Friday, Dec. 23, ESPN’s Adam Shefter reported that Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is a game-time decision for Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Rams. If Roethlisberger is unable to go, then backup Charlie Batch would likely get the start.

Some of my fellow Rams fans might think I’m crazy, but I hope Big Ben plays. The Rams pass rush has been one of the few bright spots on the team this season, and I can’t wait to see the unit go after the Steelers’ wounded offensive line.

The only chance the Rams have of winning this game is if they can force Roethlisberger into turning the ball over. The Rams will have defensive ends Chris Long and Robert Quinn going after Roethlisberger early and often, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the team blitz even more than it has already this season.

I think the Steelers will be tempted to throw more if Roethlisberger plays. With Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown lining up opposite of the Rams’ makeshift secondary, I can see Roethlisberger standing in the pocket trying to get the ball downfield. That’s where the Rams have a chance to cause Pittsburgh some problems. It’s a risky strategy, but it’s the only hope the Rams have against the mighty Steelers.

In reality, I fully expect the Steelers to come out and run the ball at the Rams regardless of who starts at quarterback. It’s no secret that the Rams have the worst rush defense in the NFL. Even though Rashard Mendenhall has struggled at times this season, the Steelers should be able to open up some holes for him. In fact, if the Steelers are determined enough, I think Mendenhall could easily run for 150 yards on the Rams.

However, if Roethlisberger plays, I think the Steelers might be aggressive enough for the Rams to take advantage of the situation. I know it’s strange for me to say that, but if Roethlisberger is as immobile as he looked against the 49ers, then the Rams have enough talent on the defensive line to cause some problems. I know this is wishful thinking, but at this point in a 2-12 season, that’s all I have.

The smart thing for the Steelers to do would be to have Roethlisberger rest his sprained ankle, but who knows if that will happen. I guess I’ll find out on Saturday.

Derek Ciapala has been a Rams fan since he was a child and the team was in Los Angeles. His favorite Rams moments include Flipper Anderson’s 336-yard receiving night against the Saints in 1989, and their miracle 1999 run to their first Super Bowl victory. You can follow him on Twitter @dciapala.

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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will not start Saturday when the Steelers face the St. Louis Rams.

Roethlisberger is dealing with a sprained left ankle and did not practice this week following a 20-3 loss to San Francisco on Monday. He will be replaced by veteran Charlie Batch, who is 4-2 as a spot starter since joining the Steelers in 2003.

Roethlisberger said Wednesday he would prefer to play and believed his ankle was in pretty good shape after throwing for 330 yards and three interceptions against the 49ers. Yet he watched both practices this week in sweat pants as Batch took the snaps with the first team.

Roethlisberger last missed a start due to injury in 2009, when a concussion forced him to sit out a loss to Baltimore.

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