Roethlisberger (ribs) expects to play vs. Patriots

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger expects to be under center on Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers face Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

Roethlisberger sustained a rib injury late in the second half of Sunday's 24-21 setback against the Oakland Raiders. The 36-year-old sat out four drives as a result before replacing Josh Dobbs and tossing a touchdown pass for the Steelers (7-5-1).

A two-time Super Bowl champion and six-time Pro Bowl selection, Roethlisberger was pretty direct Tuesday on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh when asked if there was any reason he wouldn't play against the Patriots (9-4).

"No, no, I don't think so," Roethlisberger said.

While Roethlisberger's answer was short and to the point, the 6-foot-5, 240-pounder had a much more difficult time receiving clarity on the severity of his rib injury, per coach Mike Tomlin.

"Ben sustained an injury at the end of the first half, we went in at halftime; he needed to be evaluated," Tomlin said Tuesday. "An X-ray was a part of that. Getting the X-ray executed was not a fluid thing and often times it's not a fluid thing to be honest with you. New and unfamiliar venues and things of that nature. Ben was accompanied by our medical staff and Kevin Colbert, our general manager. They went through their procedures. Even after getting the X-ray, we didn't have great clarity, to be honest with you. We weren't able to read the X-ray to our satisfaction. ... So we never really, fully had a complete understanding of specifically what the injury was at the stadium site."

Roethlisberger has completed 366 of 546 passes for 4,227 yards with 28 touchdowns and 13 interceptions this season.