Pittsburgh Steelers fans just got some bad news about their starting quarterback. On Monday morning, the team announced Ben Roethlisberger will miss the rest of the 2019 season due to an elbow injury. Head coach Mike Tomlin released a statement on the matter.
“Ben Roethlisberger had an MRI on his right elbow Sunday evening and it was determined by the Steelers’ medical team that surgery will be required,” Tomlin said. We expect the surgery will be scheduled for this week. He will be placed on our Reserve/Injured List and is out for the season.”
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The injury occurred on Sunday when the Steelers were taking on the Seattle Seahawks. Roethlisberger was in pain when he threw the ball and he was forced the leave the game. Mason Rudolph took over and he threw for 112 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the 28-26 loss.
Once the game was over, the medical team took a look at the elbow and it was reported that Roethlisberger, 37 wanted to avoid having surgery on it. But when it was all said and done, it was the medial team’s decision and the Steelers will have to go without their All-Pro quarterback for the remainder of the season.
But it looks like Rudolph is ready for the challenge that’s ahead of him. After the loss on Sunday, Rudolph said he was very prepared to step in and it showed.
“You have to be prepared for those situations whenever your number is called,” Rudolph told TRIB Live. “I thought I was ready. I had a really good feel for our gameplan and what we worked on all week. … I didn’t feel like I was unprepared in any means.”
Rudolph will have some big shoes to fill as Roethlisberger has been one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL since entering the league in 2004. Along with being a two-time Super Bowl winner, Roethlisberger has been named to the Pro Bowl six times and he was was the NFL’s passing yards leader in 2014 and 2018. He was named Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2004 after not losing a start during the regular season and throwing for 2,621 yards and 17 touchdowns. For his career, Roethlisberger has thrown for 56,545 yards, 363 touchdowns and 191 interceptions.
