Big Ben to have season-ending elbow surgery - ESPN

11:51 AM ET

Pittsburgh Steelers star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will have surgery on his right elbow and miss the remainder of the season, coach Mike Tomlin announced Monday.

In a statement released by the team, Tomlin announced that Roethlisberger will undergo the surgery at some point this week after having an MRI on Sunday night.

The Steelers, who will place Roethlisberger on injured reserve, have not yet provided details about the injury, and there is no timetable for when the six-time Pro Bowler will be able to play again.

Roethlisberger was hurt late in the second quarter of Sunday's 28-26 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, grabbing his elbow after attempting a pass on the team's final drive of the half.

In Roethlisberger's absence, second-year quarterback Mason Rudolph nearly led the Steelers to a fourth-quarter comeback in his first career appearance, completing 12 of 19 attempts for 112 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Now the Steelers will have to rely on Rudolph, a third-round draft pick in 2018, to help them overcome an 0-2 start.

Roethlisberger, 37, is the Steelers' franchise leader in passing yards and touchdowns and has led Pittsburgh to two Super Bowl titles. He led the NFL with 5,129 passing yards last season, his 15th with the Steelers, and signed a contract extension this past March that runs through the 2021 season.

Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster tweeted Monday that he was "sad to hear the news" of Roethlisberger's injury.

Prayers up to my guy Ben on his upcoming surgery. So sad to hear the news, but we're gonna hold it down for you ✊🏾🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/Neje7pNzZq
— JuJu Smith-Schuster (@TeamJuJu) September 16, 2019

The news of Roethlisberger's injury had an immediate impact on the Steelers' odds at Caesars Sportsbook, where they went from 40-1 to 100-1 to win the Super Bowl and 18-1 to 40-1 to win the AFC.

The Roethlisberger injury also affected the odds to win the AFC North at Caesars, which dropped Pittsburgh to 16-1 for the division title -- well behind the Baltimore Ravens (-200) and the Cleveland Browns (+170).

Let's block ads! (Why?)