According to NFL Networks Michael Silver, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered a separated right shoulder/AC Sprain Saturday night against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Ben Roethlisberger has a separated right shoulder. MRI today. Depending on extent of damage will try to play Sunday vs. Broncos. @nflnetwork
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 10, 2016
He had an MRI on Sunday to figure out the severity of the injury to his shoulder, however, there have been no reports on that just yet.
Ben did briefly meet with the Pittsburgh media on Sunday and said he was "day-to-day" this week and that his shoulder is "sore".
Big Ben suffered the injury after he was sacked by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict in the third quarter of Saturday Night's wildcard game. He was carted to the locker room, but returned to play the final drive of the game and led the Steelers to victory.
Ben later told reporters after the game that he told coaches not to call any deep throws because he couldn't do them and that he was in "a lot of pain" during that final drive.
We did receive an update on Roethlisberger from CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora late Sunday night.
However, Steelers optimistic that without setback he could play Sunday. He has a shoulder strain and will spend most of week in treatment
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 11, 2016
Canfora says that the Steelers will take every precaution they can with Big Ben this week. Canfora goes on to say that Roethlisberger will not even throw a football until probably Thursday. The Steelers want to rest Ben's shoulder as much as possible.
He goes on to say that the Steelers do remain optimistic that without a setback Roethlisberger will play next Sunday against the Denver Broncos. The keyword here is "without setback". If Ben is still having issues with his shoulder on Thursday, it could really put his status for Sunday in doubt.
As I said last night, I would count on Roethlisberger being under center for the Steelers on Sunday afternoon. The real question here is how effective he will be with a sore throwing shoulder. He is one of the better deep-ball throwers in the league, and this injury could really hinder that. This is why I am anxious to find out the exact severity of his separation. If it's minor, we could see the usual Roethlisberger on Sunday. If it's more on the severe side, we could see a really hindered Ben next week.
I would really hate to play the defense that led the league in sacks and has the number one overall defense with a bum shoulder.