Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger did not practice Wednesday

With 4:21 remaining in the first quarter during Sunday's loss to the New Orleans Saints, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took a shot on his throwing hand from linebacker Curtis Lofton during a 21-yard pass to wide receiver Antonio Brown. Roethlisberger, at the time, had lost feeling to two fingers on his throwing hand. The Steelers called Le'Veon Bell's number on five consecutive runs (generating 28 yards) with the veteran quarterback using his left hand to complete some of those exchanges.

"I am sure every quarterback has that happen every game," Roethlisberger said after Sunday's loss. "Does it hurt? Yeah. Did it affect my throwing? No." A Bleacher Report report (is that like an NIC card... amiright?) said that he was dealing with a fractured wrist -- which hasn't been confirmed/verified at this stage. Roethlisberger, who outright denied the report, ended up throwing the football 58 times, completing 32 passes for 435 yards while scoring two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Roethlisberger told reporters on Wednesday that he's fine and that "I got the feeling back and am ready to rock and roll today."

Per SB Nation's Behind the Steel Curtain (an excellent source for Steelers coverage... and yes, I'm biased, so what), Roethlisberger was held out of practice on Wednesday.

The timing is a bit odd, but whether he has an issue with his hand, or broken bones in his wrist, Roethlisberger played the remainder of the team's 35-32 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 13, and over the final quarter, didn't appear to have as many issues as he had early in the game.

DID NOT PRACTICE
QB Ben Roethlisberger (Non-Injury Related)
S Troy Polamalu (Illness)
OT Marcus Gilbert (ankle)
LB James Harrison (knee)
TE Heath Miller (Non-Injury Related)

You can see the full practice report here.