Roethlisberger nursing fractured right thumb

(AP Photo/Tony Tribble)

By WILL GRAVES

AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) Ben Roethlisberger has an unexpected homework assignment during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ bye week: protecting a fractured right thumb.

Roethlisberger injured the thumb on his throwing hand sometime during Pittsburgh’s 24-17 win over Cincinnati on Sunday. He’s not sure when it happened, only that he noticed it while coming out for the second half.

“It was hard to determine it on the sideline, but we did all the tests (Monday), and it’s fractured in there,” Roethlisberger said.

Roethlisberger didn’t miss a snap as the Steelers improved to 7-3. He completed 7 of 11 passes for 70 yards in the second half, including a perfect 4-for-4 during the game-winning drive in the third quarter.

“It hurt, but (Steelers head trainer) John Norwig did a great job taping it up, making a quick splint out of tape and going with it,” Roethlisberger said. “Squeezing the ball is the hardest part, but it’s a good thing that I had a glove on it because that helps gripping it a little bit.”

This isn’t the first time Roethlisberger has played with a busted thumb. He suffered a similar injury in 2005, though it didn’t prevent him from leading the Steelers to their fifth Super Bowl title.

There should be no issues this time either, though Roethlisberger will continue to play with a splint. Pittsburgh travels to Kansas City on Nov. 27.

“I won’t have to throw for a week or so, (until) next Wednesday or whenever we practice next week,” Roethlisberger said. “So, that’ll be a good time for it to rest. For me, it’ll just be getting used to throwing with a splint on again and a glove on, which I’ve done before.”

Wide receiver Mike Wallace said he wasn’t aware Roethlisberger was even hurt, though the quarterback work a black brace during a shortened practice on Tuesday.

“I didn’t even notice to tell you the truth,” Wallace said.

It’s not unusual for Roethlisberger to play through minor injuries. He suffered a sprained foot in a loss to Houston on Oct. 2 then tied a franchise record with five touchdown passes in a victory over Tennessee.

“That’s just Ben,” Wallace said. “You know that something small isn’t going to slow him down like that.”

Roethlisberger has been playing some of the best football of his career during Pittsburgh’s surge following a 2-2 start. The Steelers have won five of six going into their bye week despite an inconsistent running game and a defense that’s put up its usual stellar numbers but has struggled to take the ball away.

No matter. Roethlisberger is completing 64 percent of his passes for 1,726 yards and 13 touchdowns against just four interceptions over the last six games and became the first quarterback in team history to top 300 yards in three straight games when he went over the mark against Arizona (361), New England (365) and Baltimore (330).

He didn’t quite get there against the Bengals, though he showcased his playcalling ability during a pair of no-huddle drives in the second half, including the 11-play, 81-yard march that ended with Rashard Mendenhall’s 9-yard touchdown run that gave Pittsburgh the lead for good.

Roethlisberger said it was important for the Steelers to come back with an emphatic answer after the Bengals rallied from a 14-point deficit to tie the game at 17.

“That was kind of the mentality – `Let’s go no-huddle and try and get down there. Let’s answer,’” Roethlisberger said. “We take pride as an offense in wanting to be the best. It’s our time to do it, so let’s step up and score. We always want to answer. If I remember right, it was a pretty long drive, converting third downs. That’s huge.”

Particularly after Roethlisberger’s last shot at operating out of the no-huddle ended in disaster as Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs perfectly read Roethlisberger’s call for a bubble screen and came up with an interception deep in Ravens territory to end a Pittsburgh scoring threat in a game Baltimore eventually won, 23-20.

Don’t expect Roethlisberger to turn into Peyton Manning, running his own show and spending 20 seconds standing in the shotgun barking out signals. Yet it is a significant step in the process of making the Steelers one of the most versatile offenses in the league.

“We want to be dangerous,” Wallace said. “We want to be able to beat teams in lots of different ways.”

Even if it means the glove on Roethlisberger’s hand has a little extra padding for the next few weeks.

Updated November 15, 2011

While the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t exactly be limping into
Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium this Sunday, there should definitely be some
lingering effects from their hard-fought game from a week ago.

That could play right into the hands of the Bengals, who’ve been thriving on
wearing teams down and beating them late.

One week after a loss to the rival Ravens dropped them out of first place in
the AFC North, the Steelers try to avoid falling even further behind this
weekend against the division co-leading Bengals.

Out to avenge a lopsided road loss to Baltimore back in Week 1, the Steelers
fought tooth-and-nail with the Ravens at Heinz Field last Sunday. Things looked
to be in Pittsburgh’s favor when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger found Mike
Wallace for a 25-yard touchdown pass with 4:59 remaining to take a four-point
lead in the back-and-forth affair.

However, Baltimore’s Joe Flacco engineered a 92-yard drive in the closing
moments and overcame some drops by his receivers to find Torrey Smith for a
26-yard score with only eight ticks to go, lifting the Ravens to a 23-20
victory.

Pittsburgh had a four-game win streak end despite an high-impact return by
linebacker James Harrison, and fell a half-game behind both the 6-2 Ravens
and Bengals in the division.

“That’s a tough defeat for us,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. “We tip
our cap to Baltimore. They finished better than we did. We didn’t make enough
plays to win the game.”

The Steelers probably can’t wait for their Nov. 20 bye, as they are in the
midst of a five-game stretch against teams either leading their division or
tied for first place. The string began with a win over AFC East front-runner
before last week’s loss to the Ravens. Following this road contest in
Cincinnati, Pittsburgh gets a week off before visiting Kansas City and then
hosting the Bengals in a rematch.

Pittsburgh has won nine of its last 12 on the road, while Roethlisberger is
7-1 at Paul Brown Stadium in his career.

The Bengals look to reverse that trend on Sunday, as they carry their longest
winning streak in 23 years into this meeting. Following a 24-17 victory over
Tennessee in Week 9, Cincinnati has won five straight for the first time since
the 1988 club opened the season 6-0.

Rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green continued to impress in the win. Dalton
threw a career-high three touchdown passes and hooked up with Green seven
times for 83 yards.

“Lots of people say Andy and I don’t look like rookies,” Green said. “We just
take every rep and try to make it better each week.”

After falling behind early, the Bengals outscored the Titans 17-0 in the
second half while limiting them to just 95 yards of offense. Dalton’s five-
yard touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell with 10:52 left in the game put the
Bengals in front for the first time, and gave the rookie quarterback his third
fourth-quarter comeback of the season.

Cincinnati, which hasn’t lost since Sept. 25 at home to San Francisco, is
outscoring its opposition 87-43 in the fourth quarter and 156-59 in the second
half on the season.

“I’m just going to keep it to myself,” head coach Marvin Lewis said when asked
about the fourth quarter success. “I don’t want to jinx it. As I said last
week, I think our guys, we keep learning, we keep having a good understanding
of what’s happening. Our guys are able to tune in and make adjustments, make
corrections, make revisions, move forward with new things and keep attacking.”

Cincinnati is beginning its own mini-gauntlet, as it visits Baltimore next
weekend.

SERIES HISTORY

The Steelers took a 49-32 lead in their overall regular-season series with
Cincinnati after sweeping last year’s home-and-home set between the divisional
foes. The defending AFC champions recorded a 27-21 win over the Bengals at
Paul Brown Stadium in Week 9 and followed up with a 23-7 home triumph last
December, Pittsburgh’s seventh victory in its last nine meetings with
Cincinnati. The Bengals’ lone two positive results over that span took place
in 2009, when the team posted a 23-20 home decision as well as an 18-12 win at
Heinz Field that year. The Steelers are 8-1 in their last nine regular-season
stops at Paul Brown Stadium.

Pittsburgh also prevailed in its lone postseason encounter with Cincinnati,
topping the then-AFC North champion Bengals by a 31-17 count on the road in a
2005 AFC First-Round Playoff en route to an eventual Super Bowl title.

Lewis is 5-12 all-time against Pittsburgh, for whom he served as a linebackers
coach from 1992 through 1995. Tomlin owns a 6-2 mark versus both Cincinnati
and Lewis during his tenure as Pittsburgh’s head coach.

WHEN THE STEELERS HAVE THE BALL

Pittsburgh’s ninth-ranked offense (389.1 ypg) certainly had its chances last
weekend, racking up 392 total yards to mark the sixth time this season that the
club has posted at least 390 net yards. Roethlisberger (2632 passing yards, 15
TD, 8 INT) also became the first Steelers quarterback in team history to have
three consecutive games of at least 300 yards passing, notching 330 on a 20-
of-37 completion rate against Baltimore. His touchdown pass to Wallace (47
receptions, 6 TD) was his lone one of the game, however, and he was also picked
off once. With teams looking to prevent Wallace from making the long and deep
plays, Antonio Brown (39 receptions, 1 TD) snuck in five catches on 11 targets
last Sunday and went over 100 yards receiving for the second time in three
weeks. He also saw more time with Emmanuel Sanders (18 receptions, 2 TD) out
and Hines Ward (26 receptions, 2 TD) suffering a concussion on a hit by
Baltimore’s Ray Lewis. While Ward is expected to play in this game, Sanders is
out for a few weeks after having knee surgery on Monday. Tight end Heath Miller
(35 receptions, 2 TD) made five catches for 73 yards against the Ravens,
leaving him eight receptions shy of Elbie Nickel’s all-time club record for a
tight end of 329. Pittsburgh’s ground game was limited to only 70 yards by
Baltimore, with Rashad Mendenhall (473 rushing yards, 4 TD) leading the way
with 52 yards on 13 carries. That included a one-yard score early in the fourth
quarter.

Points off turnovers has been key to the Bengals’ success this year, and they
enter this game tied for seventh in the league with a plus-4 turnover
differential. Cincinnati also ranks tied for second in the NFL with nine fumble
recoveries and had scored a defensive touchdown in three consecutive games
before last Sunday. However, they did hold an opponent without a second half
touchdown for the third time this year in the Tennessee and rank fourth overall
in points allowed per game at 17.5. Cincinnati’s second-ranked run defense
(84.5 ypg) held the Titans to 78 yards on 20 carries, while the pass rush was
able to post two sacks, both by defensive end Carlos Dunlap (15 tackles, 3
sacks). Dunlap’s efforts gave the Bengals 20 sacks on the season. Cornerback
Nate Clements (33 tackles), meanwhile, accounted for a turnover after he
stripped Tennessee tight end Jared Cook of the ball and recovered the fumble.
Clements also had seven tackles, while linebacker Thomas Howard (48 tackles)
led the team with nine stops. Clements and fellow corner Leon Hall (30
tackles,1 INT) will have to keep an eye on Wallace and will need deep safety
help from Chris Crocker (23 tackles, 2.5 sacks) and Reggie Nelson (50 tackles,
1 sack, 1 INT), while ends Robert Geathers, Michael Johnson (16 tackles, 2.5
sacks, 1 INT), and Frostee Rucker (15 tackles, 3 sacks) will look to step up
the pass rush. Cincinnati is also hoping for the return of middle linebacker
Rey Maualuga (38 tackles), who has sat out the last three games with an ankle
injury.

WHEN THE BENGALS HAVE THE BALL

Defensive turnovers have also been key to the Bengals’ offense, which is 14th
in points scored per game (24.4) despite owning just the 22nd-ranked unit in
total yards in the NFL. Cincinnati has also scored on 92 percent of its trips
to the red zone. Dalton (1696 passing yards, 12 TD, 7 INT) has had plenty of
time to make plays, as he has been sacked just twice over his last two games
and Cincinnati’s 13 sacks allowed are tied for the fifth-fewest in the league.
While Green is one of Dalton’s favorite targets, he spread the scoring wealth
against the Titans, finding Caldwell (26 receptions, 2 TD), wideout Jerome
Simpson (26 receptions, 2 TD) and rookie tight end Colin Cochart in the end
zone. Cochart and Donald Lee saw more time on the field with Jermaine Gresham
(25 receptions, 3 TD) missing his second game in a row due to a hamstring
issue, though he could be available this week. Though Green (40 receptions, 5
TD) didn’t get in on the scoring party, he still leads all NFL rookies in
receptions, receiving yards (599) and touchdowns. His chemistry with Dalton has
the quarterback on the verge of becoming the first rookie signal-caller to win
six straight games since Vince Young in 2006. Dalton is also 159 passing yards
shy of passing Greg Cook (1,854 in 1969) for the most by a rookie in team
history. Cincinnati did rush for over 100 yards last weekend, getting 78 on 20
carries from Cedric Benson (536 rushing yards, 2 TD). He was returning to
action following a one-game suspension.

Dalton and his offensive line figure to be tested mightily by Pittsburgh’s
third-ranked defense this weekend. The Steelers are allowing 280.2 yards per
game and are also third in defending the pass at 184.7 yards per game. The
return of Harrison (31 tackles, 5 sacks) was a big spark to the unit, as he had
eight tackles and recorded all three of the club’s sacks. One of those sacks
resulted in a forced fumble as Harrison returned with a vengeance after
sitting out four games due to a broken orbital bone. While Baltimore is the
only team to score more than 20 points in a game versus Pittsburgh this season
– the Steelers rank fifth with 18.0 points yielded per game — the unit did
hold the Ravens’ Ray Rice-led ground game to only 67 yards. It was the sixth
time Pittsburgh held an opponent under 100 yards rushing this season. While
Harrison returned, outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley (36 tackles, 9 sacks, 1
INT) missed his first game since Nov. 9, 2008 because of a hamstring issue and
inside veteran James Farrior (45 tackles, 2 sacks) sat out his second in a row
with a calf ailment. Still, Pittsburgh has managed 23 sacks this year, second
most in the AFC. Linebacker Larry Foote (40 tackles, 1 sack) had a team-high 10
tackles versus the Ravens, while cornerback William Gay (35 tackles) had six.
Harrison has three sacks in his last four games versus the Bengals, while
safety Troy Polamalu (56 tackles, 1 sack) matched a career-best with two
interceptions in the last meeting between the clubs, taking one 45 yards for a
score. Pittsburgh has just two picks this year, including one by safety Ryan
Clark (57 tackles, 1 INT).

KEYS TO THE GAME

With the Bengals’ ability to score late and wear teams down, the Steelers will
need to keep Cincinnati off the board early. Last week versus the Ravens,
Pittsburgh stopped Baltimore three times at the one-yard line to hold the club
to a field goal. It was the first time in three games that the Steelers
allowed points on an opening drive.

Dalton has been on a nice run, but he’ll need to be in top form versus the
Steelers. Pittsburgh has held six of the nine quarterbacks it has faced this
year to a passer rating lower than 87.0. It has also held six of those nine
signal-callers under 200 yards passing.

Like the Saints of a few seasons ago, the Bengals get a healthy number of
scores from their defensive and special teams units. Four of Cincinnati’s
touchdowns have been scored by those groups, including three from the defense.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Few would have expected a Bengals-Steelers matchup this year to have a huge
impact on the standings, but that is the remarkable case this Sunday.
Pittsburgh should be hungry and focused following last weekend’s disappointing
loss, and a trip to Cincinnati isn’t likely to rattle this veteran unit. The
Steelers have been able to overcome a slew of defensive injuries the past few
weeks to stay competitive, and some pressure could be off given Cincinnati’s
offensive numbers. However, that lack of depth could favor the Bengals late in
the game, allowing them to pull off in what some would see as an upset.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Bengals 16, Steelers 13

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Read More: Troy Polamalu (SS – PIT), Arnaz Battle (WR – PIT), LaMarr Woodley (LB – PIT), Emmanuel Sanders (WR – PIT), Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers have ruled linebacker LaMarr Woodley out for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to the team’s injury report. Woodley did not participate in Friday’s practice, nor did wideouts Arnaz Battle and Emmanuel Sanders or safety Troy Polamalu. Woodley, Battle, and Sanders will miss Sunday’s game, but the team lists Polamalu as probable.

Woodley has 36 tackles (24 solo) for the Steelers this season, as well as an AFC-leading nine sacks. His absence means Pittsburgh will have a diminished pass rush to disrupt Bengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton. As Neal Coolong of Behind the Steel Curtain writes, the return of James Harrison to the lineup against the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday helped mask Woodley’s absence somewhat.

Elsewhere on the injury report, Harrison did not practice in full Friday due to a toe injury, but the team lists him as probable. Wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery, linebacker James Farrior, guard Doug Legursky, linebacker Stevenson Sylvester, and wide receiver Hines Ward all practiced in full and appear listed as probable.

Read More: Troy Polamalu (SS – PIT), Arnaz Battle (WR – PIT), LaMarr Woodley (LB – PIT), Emmanuel Sanders (WR – PIT), Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers have ruled linebacker LaMarr Woodley out for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to the team’s injury report. Woodley did not participate in Friday’s practice, nor did wideouts Arnaz Battle and Emmanuel Sanders or safety Troy Polamalu. Woodley, Battle, and Sanders will miss Sunday’s game, but the team lists Polamalu as probable.

Woodley has 36 tackles (24 solo) for the Steelers this season, as well as an AFC-leading nine sacks. His absence means Pittsburgh will have a diminished pass rush to disrupt Bengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton. As Neal Coolong of Behind the Steel Curtain writes, the return of James Harrison to the lineup against the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday helped mask Woodley’s absence somewhat.

Elsewhere on the injury report, Harrison did not practice in full Friday due to a toe injury, but the team lists him as probable. Wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery, linebacker James Farrior, guard Doug Legursky, linebacker Stevenson Sylvester, and wide receiver Hines Ward all practiced in full and appear listed as probable.

CINCINNATI (AP)—The Bengals have sold out their Nov. 13 home game against
the Pittsburgh Steelers, breaking their streak of seven straight games blacked
out on local television because of less-than-capacity crowds.

Cincinnati (5-2) failed to sell out its last four games in 2010 and the
first three this year. The Bengals drew only 41,142 fans for a win over Buffalo
on Oct. 2, the smallest regular-season crowd in Paul Brown Stadium’s 12-year
history.

The team’s unexpectedly strong start has revived fans’ interest. Plus,
thousands of Steelers fans make the five-hour drive to Cincinnati each year,
filling the stadium. The last time the Bengals sold out a regular-season home
game was Nov. 8 last year, when the Steelers were in town for a 27-21 win.

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Former Southern Illinois quarterback Chris Dieker agreed Wednesday to a free agent contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Dieker, who is one of three quarterbacks in SIU history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a career, is flying to Pittsburgh Wednesday evening and will meet with team officials Thursday to sign a contract. He will receive a physical and then report with the rest of the team for training camp at 3 p.m. ET.

“It feels great just to get an opportunity,” Dieker said. “To be able to compete with players at that level is really exciting.”

Dieker led the Salukis to a 20-9 record in his three years as a starter. He ranks in the top five of 13 different offensive categories in the school record books, including third with 5,237 career passing yards.

The 6-5, 230-pound gunslinger out of Topeka, Kan. completed 446-of-757 passes in his career with 41 touchdowns. In his final game as a Saluki, Dieker threw for a career-high 279 yards and accounted for six touchdowns (four passing, two rushing) in a win over Indiana State. Dieker was named the National Offensive Player of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards for his game against the Sycamores.

He led the Salukis to the Missouri Valley Football Conference championship in both 2008 and 2009. Dieker also ran for 498 yards in his career, with 272 of that coming his senior season, and 12 touchdowns.

He will be one of five quarterback for the Steelers in training camp. The team’s other quarterbacks are Ben Roethlisberger, Byron Leftwich, Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon.

Dieker is the second Saluki to sign a rookie free agent contract in as many days, as linebackerStephen Franklin signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday.
Other Salukis in NFL training camps this year include running backs Brandon Jacobs (New York Giants) and Deji Karim (Jacksonville Jaguars), linebacker Bart Scott (New York Jets) and cornerback Korey Lindsey, who was a 2011 draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals.