Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wasn't supposed to see the field at all on Sunday. But he was called into duty early against the Cleveland Browns and looked as masterful as he has all season, throwing for over 350 yards with three touchdown passes in a 30-9 Steelers victory.
Due to a foot injury, Roethlisberger had little preparation in the week leading up to the game. The Steelers made him active in case of an emergency as backup Mike Vick was already ruled out with an injury. That meant Landry Jones, the third-string quarterback, was starting and Roethlisberger was his backup. But Jones limped off the field with an ankle injury in the first quarter, leaving Roethlisberger to handle the quarterback position for the rest of the afternoon.
Tight end Heath Miller would have been the emergency backup if Roethlisberger couldn't finish the game.
But Roethlisberger did finish, and he played a fantastic game. For having an injured foot, he moved around well and was on target finding Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant.
Roethlisberger finished with 22 of 33 completions for 379 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, while only being sacked once. Bryant had a monster day, with six receptions for 179 yards and a touchdown, while Brown added 139 yards and two touchdowns.
Jones left the game after completing 3 of 4 passes for 23 yards. Provided Roethlisberger did not suffer a setback in Sunday's game, he should be able to play in Pittsburgh's next game. Fortunately, he'll get a little extra rest as the Steelers have a bye in Week 11 before taking on the Seattle Seahawks on the road.
Johnny Manziel made the start at quarterback for the Browns, and he did not play as poorly as it might seem looking at the final score. Manziel had an interception and he lost a fumble, but he also tossed a touchdown and completed 33 passes for 372 yards. Manziel was also sacked six times in the game. Neither team was able to run the ball at all, and DeAngelo Williams only rushed for 54 yards on 17 carries.
Travis Benjamin went over 100 yards receiving for Manziel, so there were bright spots. But the Browns made too many mistakes and the Steelers were never in danger of losing the game.
Pittsburgh improves to 6-4 on the season. Cleveland falls to 2-8 and also has a bye week to reflect. The Browns face the rival Baltimore Ravens and then the rival Cincinnati Bengals in their next two games, and whether Josh McCown will replace Manziel at the quarterback position is now the big question.