Morning Rewind, 9/28: Big problem for Big Ben

By JOHN DORN

Whether it was an illegal hit or not doesn't matter to the Pittsburgh Steelers right now. No flag was thrown on the hit to Ben Roethlisberger's left knee, but the blow knocked him out of the game, and according to reports, for much longer than that.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen is reporting that the quarterback suffered a sprained MCL and is set to miss four-to-six weeks, slating him for a tentative return date as late as Week 9 -- Nov. 8 against the Raiders.

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/exPZnb5QQ9Q"%

Mike Tomlin tabbed backup shot caller Michael Vick to finish off Week 3's victory in St. Louis, and as Tomlin put it after the game, he got them "out of the stadium." He completed five of his six pass attempts for 48 yards without throwing a touchdown or a pick.

Vick struggled when called to participate last season in a backup role with the New York Jets, infamously admitting that he "wasn't prepared" to step in for a struggling Geno Smith last October.

The 35-year-old still has one more week before Martavis Bryant returns from his suspension in Week 5, but stud running back Le'Veon Bell made his season debut on Sunday, and did so with a bang -- going for 62 yards and a score on the ground and 70 more yards through the air, eliminating concern about rust in the early going.

The Steelers are now 2-1, but now face perhaps the hardest part of their schedule with their offensive leader on the sideline. How Vick weathers the storm will determine their fate.

Steelers 12, Rams 6

Around the League
Bengals 28, Ravens 24


When Andy Dalton goes for 383 yards, the Bengals are typically in pretty good shape. This was the case against the Ravens, and despite Joe Flacco's 362-yard outing -- 186 of those accumulated by Steve Smith Sr. -- A.J. Green was too much to handle. His ridiculous 227-yard day, including an 80-yard score, was the highlight in this one.

Raiders 27, Browns 20
The Raiders have been in a dark place for some time, but the duo of Derek Carr and Amari Cooper could be enough to help them see brighter days. Carr threw for 314 yards and two scores, while Cooper hauled in eight passes for 134 yards. Factor in Latavius Murray's 139 yards on the ground, and Oakland saw a rare road win come relatively easily.

Panthers 27, Saints 22
The Carolina Panthers are 3-0 and sit tied atop the NFC South with the Atlanta Falcons. Despite Luke McCown's admirable performance, stepping in for Drew Brees and going 31-of-38 for 310 yards, Cam Newton threw for a pair of scores and ran for one more. Greg Olsen caught eight passes for 134 yards, and suddenly, the Panthers look formidable in what could be the league's weakest division.

Falcons 39, Cowboys 28
In their first week without Tony Romo, the Cowboys' undefeated streak came to an end. Surprisingly, Brandon Weeden didn't immediately put Dallas in a position to lose, completing most of his passes and keeping them in it for most of the game. But when Julio Jones is healthy, the Falcons do special things.

Colts 35, Titans 33

Through most of the game, the Colts seemed destined for 0-3. But by the time the second half rolled around, Andrew Luck finally became Andrew Luck -- for the first time in three games. Indy poured in 21 points in the fourth quarter to escape Tennessee with their first victory of the season.

Eagles 24, Jets 17
Remember that talk about the 5-0 Jets taking on the 5-0 Patriots? We can scrap that. New York cam eout flat at home against a winless Eagles team, falling behind 24-0 at one point before scrapping together a couple of scores against the porous Eagles defense. Suddenly, Ryan Fitzpatrick is no longer New York's golden boy, and we're not far from hearing Jets fans clamor for Geno Smith.

Other Scores

• Cardinals 47, 49ers 7

• Bills 41, Dolphins 14

• Seahawks 26, Bears 0

• Broncos 24, Lions 12

• Texans 19, Buccaneers 9

• Patriots 51, Jaguars 17

• Vikings 31, Chargers 14

On the Diamond
Yankees 6, White Sox 1
With the AL East seemingly out of reach, all the Yankees can do at this point is rack up Ws and hope for the best. They beat up on Chicago, 6-1, but remain four back of Toronto -- though they now have a 4.5-game cushion in the Wild Card race.

Blue Jays 5, Rays 4
Toronto continues its scorching second half, pushing their division lead to four up on the Yankees. They walked it off on Sunday against Tampa, when likely MVP Josh Donaldson ripped a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth to break the 4-4 tie.

Twins 7, Tigers 1
Minnesota is still hanging around the AL Wild Card hunt, and a win keeps them at 1.5 games behind Houston for the final spot. A six-run second inning, highlighted by Byron Buxton and Brian Dozier doubles, was all Minny needed for the victory.

Phillies 12, Nationals 5
%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/exPXTF2Aw9J"%

When it rains, it pours, particularly with the now-eliminated Washington Nationals. As you've surely seen by now, Jonathan Papelbon decided it'd be a gran idea to choke the likely NL MVP, Bryce Harper, in front of thousands of people in his own dugout. Papelbon pitched the ninth inning afterward, and lost the game for Washington.

Astros 4, Rangers 2
Houston finally found some success against division-leading Texas this weekend, but the damage the Rangers have done all month long will likely be too much to overcome. Texas leads Houston by 2.5 games, and the Astros will probably be confined to the one-game Wild Card round if they clinch their first postseason berth since 2005.

Cubs 4, Pirates 0
On Sunday Night Baseball, Jake Arrieta almost did it again. He took a perfect game into the seventh inning, and closed the night with nine strikeouts, lowering his season ERA to 1.82.

Angels 3, Mariners 2
The Angels are peaking at the right time, and now sit just a half-game out of the AL Wild Card hunt, behind division rival Houston. a Kole Calhoun RBI single in the bottom of the eighth put Los Angeles on top for good, setting them up for a thrilling final week.


Other Scores

• Royals 3, Indians 0

• Marlins 8, Braves 5

• Mets 8, Reds 1

• Red Sox 2, Orioles 0

• Brewers 8, Cardinals 4

• Giants 5, A's 4

• Diamondbacks 4, Padres 2

• Rockies 12, Dodgers 5

More from AOL.com:
AOL.com's Preseason NBA Power Rankings: 21. Detroit Pistons
Sepp Blatter back at work at FIFA HQ, due to address staff
Today in History: Ted Williams becomes last player to hit .400