Ben Roethlisberger limped around the Pittsburgh Steelers' locker room, unsure if his injured left foot might send him to the sideline next week.
The Pittsburgh quarterback certainly had plenty of company in the trainers' room after the Steelers' 17-10 loss at Houston on Sunday. The Steelers also lost linebacker James Harrison (eye), running back Rashard Mendenhall (hamstring), defensive end Aaron Smith (foot) and linebacker Jason Worilds (left quad) during the game.
Down the hall in the Texans' locker room, Houston was concerned about All-Pro wide receiver Andre Johnson, who left with a hamstring injury.
It was a tough day for injuries all around the league, with Miami quarterback Chad Henne (left shoulder), New England linebacker Jerod Mayo (knee), Dallas safety Gerald Sensabaugh (concussion), Tennessee safety Chris Hope (broken arm), Seattle wide receiver Mike Williams (concussion) and Cleveland cornerback Joe Haden (sprained knee) and wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi (shoulder) all leaving their games.
Green Bay wide receiver Donald Driver left in the second quarter of the Packers' 49-23 win over Denver with an apparent left knee injury, but returned in the second half - then caught a touchdown from Aaron Rodgers in the fourth quarter.
San Diego's Vincent Jackson was in and out of the Chargers' 26-16 victory over Miami with a muscle strain in one of his legs.
In Houston, Roethlisberger left in a walking boot after he was sacked five times and hurried eight more behind Pittsburgh's injury-plagued offensive line. He hurt his foot on the second-to-last series when he was tackled from behind, but remained in the game until the end.
He limped into the locker room about 20 minutes after the game with his arms draped around a pair of Steelers employees and a bandage and a bag of ice wrapped around his injured foot. He sat alone at his chair with his head down and looked to be gazing at his foot for several minutes before putting on the walking boot to limp to the showers.
Roethlisberger had an X-ray after the game but said he didn't know the results. He said he wasn't sure if he'd be able to play next week, but talked about how he played last year after breaking his other foot.
"You know me - if I can be out there, I'm going to be out there. That's so for next week, too," he said. "If I can do it and if I have to cast it up - we saw I had to do that last year. I casted up my foot for the last half of the year. If we have to do it, I'll do it."
Harrison left with an apparent eye injury in the second quarter when he was injured in a collision with a Houston player in the second quarter. He left the field after the play and television shots showed him shaking his head on the bench.
Meanwhile, Johnson turned upfield in the second quarter, fell awkwardly forward and clutched the back of his right leg. He was back on the sideline late to watch Houston's win, but Texans coach Gary Kubiak said Johnson would undergo tests Sunday night, so his status remained uncertain for next week's game against Oakland.
"Now, if we have to go without him for a period," Kubiak said, "we're going to have to really ask some guys to step up to the plate."
Henne was hurt at the end of a 1-yard run in the first quarter on the Dolphins' second possession in San Diego and didn't return. He went to hand off to Lex Hilliard, who wasn't ready for the ball. Henne was hit by Shaun Phillips and stayed on the ground for a few minutes. He walked off the field, then went into the locker room. He was replaced by Matt Moore.
Philadelphia defensive end Trent Cole left in the fourth quarter of the Eagles' 24-23 loss to San Francisco with a right calf injury and was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday.
Among others injured were: New York Jets linebacker Bryan Thomas (ankle), Detroit safeties Amari Spievey (hamstring) and Erik Coleman (left ankle) and Seattle linebacker Matt McCoy (knee).
The Pittsburgh quarterback certainly had plenty of company in the trainers' room after the Steelers' 17-10 loss at Houston on Sunday. The Steelers also lost linebacker James Harrison (eye), running back Rashard Mendenhall (hamstring), defensive end Aaron Smith (foot) and linebacker Jason Worilds (left quad) during the game.
Down the hall in the Texans' locker room, Houston was concerned about All-Pro wide receiver Andre Johnson, who left with a hamstring injury.
It was a tough day for injuries all around the league, with Miami quarterback Chad Henne (left shoulder), New England linebacker Jerod Mayo (knee), Dallas safety Gerald Sensabaugh (concussion), Tennessee safety Chris Hope (broken arm), Seattle wide receiver Mike Williams (concussion) and Cleveland cornerback Joe Haden (sprained knee) and wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi (shoulder) all leaving their games.
Green Bay wide receiver Donald Driver left in the second quarter of the Packers' 49-23 win over Denver with an apparent left knee injury, but returned in the second half - then caught a touchdown from Aaron Rodgers in the fourth quarter.
San Diego's Vincent Jackson was in and out of the Chargers' 26-16 victory over Miami with a muscle strain in one of his legs.
In Houston, Roethlisberger left in a walking boot after he was sacked five times and hurried eight more behind Pittsburgh's injury-plagued offensive line. He hurt his foot on the second-to-last series when he was tackled from behind, but remained in the game until the end.
He limped into the locker room about 20 minutes after the game with his arms draped around a pair of Steelers employees and a bandage and a bag of ice wrapped around his injured foot. He sat alone at his chair with his head down and looked to be gazing at his foot for several minutes before putting on the walking boot to limp to the showers.
Roethlisberger had an X-ray after the game but said he didn't know the results. He said he wasn't sure if he'd be able to play next week, but talked about how he played last year after breaking his other foot.
"You know me - if I can be out there, I'm going to be out there. That's so for next week, too," he said. "If I can do it and if I have to cast it up - we saw I had to do that last year. I casted up my foot for the last half of the year. If we have to do it, I'll do it."
Harrison left with an apparent eye injury in the second quarter when he was injured in a collision with a Houston player in the second quarter. He left the field after the play and television shots showed him shaking his head on the bench.
Meanwhile, Johnson turned upfield in the second quarter, fell awkwardly forward and clutched the back of his right leg. He was back on the sideline late to watch Houston's win, but Texans coach Gary Kubiak said Johnson would undergo tests Sunday night, so his status remained uncertain for next week's game against Oakland.
"Now, if we have to go without him for a period," Kubiak said, "we're going to have to really ask some guys to step up to the plate."
Henne was hurt at the end of a 1-yard run in the first quarter on the Dolphins' second possession in San Diego and didn't return. He went to hand off to Lex Hilliard, who wasn't ready for the ball. Henne was hit by Shaun Phillips and stayed on the ground for a few minutes. He walked off the field, then went into the locker room. He was replaced by Matt Moore.
Philadelphia defensive end Trent Cole left in the fourth quarter of the Eagles' 24-23 loss to San Francisco with a right calf injury and was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday.
Among others injured were: New York Jets linebacker Bryan Thomas (ankle), Detroit safeties Amari Spievey (hamstring) and Erik Coleman (left ankle) and Seattle linebacker Matt McCoy (knee).
