Ben Roethlisberger is out for Sunday with COVID

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The Steelers will have to try to win their fifth game in a row without their starting quarterback.

According to Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been placed on the COVID-19 reserve list. He’s out for Sunday’s game against the Lions.

Roethlisberger becomes the second high-profile quarterback to miss a game this month due to COVID. If he’s vaccinated, he’ll be able to return after generating a pair of negative tests at least 24 hours apart. If  he’s not vaccinated, he’ll miss at least 10 days.

Last week, Roethlisberger said he’s vaccinated. (Then again, so did Aaron Rodgers.) If Roethlisberger truly is vaccinated, the outcome suggests that he developed symptoms and was tested.

The backup in Pittsburgh is Mason Rudolph. He’ll likely get the eleventh-hour start against the winless Lions.