Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger out for season with elbow injury
Veteran quarterback, 37, topped NFL in passing last season
Ben Roethlisberger's season is over. His career possibly, too.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback's injured right elbow will require surgery, ending the 37-year-old's 16th season just two weeks in. Roethlisberger shook his arm after a pair of passes with the Steelers driving late in the first half. He remained in the game through the end of the drive but watched the second half from the sideline in a white baseball cap as backup Mason Rudolph took over.
Head coach Mike Tomlin said Roethlisberger underwent an MRI exam on Sunday night and team doctors determined Roethlisberger requires surgery. Roethlisberger will have the procedure later this week.
Roethlisberger, who led the NFL in passing last season, signed an extension in April that runs through 2021. There was no immediate timetable on the two-time Super Bowl winner's return.
He holds the club record in just about every major statistical passing category, including yards (56,545), touchdowns (363), attempts (7,230) and completions (4,651). Roethlisberger is 144-71-1 as a starter and is 13-8 in the playoffs, guiding the Steelers to victories in a pair of Super Bowls and an appearance in another.
Rudolph takes over
His six-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds left in the 2008 Super Bowl against Arizona gave the Steelers their sixth title and is considered one of the seminal moment's in the championship game's history.
Roethlisberger wasn't particularly sharp in a season-opening loss to New England in Week 1 and was 8 of 15 for 75 yards on Sunday, though he did complete five of six passes on his final drive of the season, including at least two after he grimaced in obvious pain.
Pittsburgh (0-2) will now move on with Rudolph, taken in the third round of the 2018 draft. Rudolph went 12 of 19 for 112 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against Seattle in the first regular-season snaps of his career. The Steelers play at San Francisco (2-0) next Sunday.
"I am completely confident in myself, being a leader on the team and playing games," Rudolph said on Sunday afternoon. "That's what it all comes down to. If [Roethlisberger is out a while], I'm ready to roll."