Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger: Shoulder hurts more than elbow ahead of Vikings game

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger may or may not be completing the closing stretch of his final NFL regular season as an active player coming off this past Sunday's 20-19 win over the Baltimore Ravens that improved Pittsburgh to 6-5-1 in a congested AFC playoff race. 

Roethlisberger and company have a short week ahead of Thursday's prime-time matchup at the 5-7 Minnesota Vikings, and the 39-year-old who previously required surgery to repair an elbow injury he suffered in 2019 admitted Tuesday he's feeling the wear of tear of competing at the highest level since 2004. 

"It's my shoulder that hurts more than my elbow," Roethlisberger explained, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN. "My elbow feels great, thanks to the doctors. It's just dealing with throwing. Wish someone could keep track; like I've thrown a million throws in my life, so at some point your shoulder starts to wear down a little bit. Just like any quarterback, your arm always hurts a little bit."

Similar to New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty and Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey, Roethlisberger also seemed to hit out at a schedule format that forces teams to play a game on a Sunday and then do so again the subsequent Thursday night.

"I don't think anybody really likes it except for the NFL and all the money that they make," he remarked. "Players, it's tough. Obviously, the back end of it is the benefit, right? The weekend, some time off. That only really feels good if you get the win. But you've just got to find a way, really."

Heading into Week 14, the Steelers trail the first-place Ravens in the AFC North standings by two games in the win column, meaning they likely can't afford any avoidable slip-ups moving forward if they are to play meaningful football beyond Jan. 9.