Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger placed on COVID list, ruled out for Sunday

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will not play in Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions due to being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Pittsburgh Steelers received some big news in regards to their starting quarterback ahead of their game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Steelers director of communications Burt Lauten confirmed that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will not play in Sunday’s game, as he was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Mason Rudolph will start for Steelers with Ben Roethlisberger out

As for who will get the start against the winless Lions NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport says that Mason Rudolph will be QB No. 1 for Pittsburgh in Week 10.

Rudolph has starting experience, considering he took over for Roethlisberger back in 2019 after the veteran suffered a season-ending elbow injury. He also appeared in five games back in 2020, including one start.

In 15 games in his career, Rudolph completed 61.7-percent of his passes for 2,089 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Dwayne Haskins will be Rudolph’s backup on Sunday.

Is Ben Roethlisberger vaccinated?

During an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show this past week, Roethlisberger said that he is vaccinated. Taking that into account, Roethlisberger will be eligible to return for the team’s Week 11 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers as long as he two negative tests.

With Roethlisberger out, head coach Mike Tomlin will be relying on Rudolph to help lead the offense on Sunday. The Steelers can extend their winning streak to five games with a victory against Detroit.