Going in to Sunday's matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, Ben Roethlisberger was trying to get his broken right foot off of his mind. A sack by defensive tackle Haloti Ngata in the first quarter helped him achieve that goal, but not in the way he was hoping.
Ngata blasted through the Steelers offensive line, getting his arm between Roethlisberger's facemask before completing the tackle from behind. Roethlisberger's nose began bleeding profusely and the quarterback was quickly ushered off the field.
Everyone watching the game knew Big Ben's nose had to have been broken as the cameras followed his march over to the Steelers sideline, capturing the crooked lump where his nose used to be.
After the game Roethlisberger confirmed the broken nose, explaining that "a big arm got in and hit me and broke it."
The good news for Steelers fans and the bad news for the 2-10 Cincinnati Bengals, is that Roethlisberger's surgery will not stop him from starting in the matchup this Sunday.
After reviewing Ngata's hit on Roethlisberger, the NFL has fined the Pro Bowl defensive tackle $15,000. The hit did not draw a penalty flag at the time of the play.
