Ben Roethlisberger update following sudden late scratch

ESPN’s Field Yates gave an update on the return timeline for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger after the news that he would be out Sunday. The quarterback will miss Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions after the news on Saturday that he was placed on the Steelers’ COVID-19 list.

Ben Roethlisberger update

“Ben Roethlisberger recently told the Dan Patrick Show that he is vaccinated, meaning it is possible he could return for next Sunday night’s game against the Chargers,” explained Yates on Twitter. “If he were unvaccinated, he would be ineligible to return before then. For now, he’s only ruled out for tomorrow.”

While the Steelers and their fans certainly weren’t expecting to lose their starting quarterback so close to game time, the news that Roethlisberger is vaccinated comes as a relief for his return timeframe. For unvaccinated players, a positive test comes with a 10-day isolation period, which would have meant two missed games in Roethlisberger’s case.

However, because the veteran is vaccinated, he can return to action as soon as he receives two negative tests within a 24-hour period. If tests are negative by next week, Roethlisberger could return to practice by Wednesday.

The Lions are currently 0-8 on the season and will be looking to take advantage of the Steelers’ misfortune. If Mason Rudolph gets the start as it is believed, Pittsburgh will look to improve on their own 5-3 record and tie the division-leading Baltimore Ravens behind him.

Rudolph has seen decent playing time despite being Roethlisberger’s backup, entering 15 games and starting nine over the past two years. As starter, Rudolph is 5-4 for his career, with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Steelers also without Chase Claypool

The Steelers had also officially ruled wide receiver Chase Claypool out for Sunday’s game with a toe injury. Claypool injured his toe against Chicago after having three catches for 30 yards and two carries for 11 yards.

Claypool is second on the team in receiving for the season, having 433 yards and a touchdown on 29 receptions. Only Diontae Johnson has more receiving yards on the season for Pittsburgh.

The second-year wide receiver has already missed one game this season, not playing in the Week 4 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Pittsburgh will already be concerned enough with their passing game with Roethlisberger being out, but their injured receiver unit will push more expectations on rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth. The rookie had a fantastic game last week with two touchdowns in the absence of Eric Ebron.

Having Freiermuth should make a huge difference for Rudolph as the Steelers hope the adage “tight ends are a quarterback’s best friend” holds true against Detroit.