National Football League

Steelers officially list Ben Roethlisberger as questionable for Week 9 return

Published Nov. 15, 2016 1:45 p.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

When Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger needed surgery after he tore the meniscus in his left knee, initial reports indicated he might miss four to six weeks.

That injury occurred a little over two weeks ago, in Pittsburgh's Week 6 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Now, a week shy of the most optimistic projection, Roethlisberger could return to the field to take on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

The Steelers listed Roethlisberger as questionable on Friday's injury report, and coach Mike Tomlin spoke to reporters about his QB's performance in the day's practice:

"We had a good day today. He had a good day today. We'll see how his body responds to the work. We don't have to make the decision today so we won't. We'll continue to push forward toward gameday."

Tomlin then embraced the deepest parts of his NFL coaching psyche to answer a few remaining injury-related questions:

After Thursday's practice, Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley told reporters Roethlisberger, "looked good out there today. [He] did what he was supposed to do, made some throws. We'll see."

Wide receiver Eli Rogers echoed Haley: "From the looks of it, it looks like he's good. It's still a day-to-day thing. Hopefully he feels good. I want him out there."

While the Ravens opened as roughly 3-point favorites against Pittsburgh at most sportsbooks, the line has since swung in the Steelers' favor — at books that have listed lines, anyway — for what that's worth.