Steelers Activate Ben Roethlisberger Off COVID-19 List, Will Start On Sunday

Steelers (5-3-1) quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be back and under center against the Chargers (5-4) on Sunday night at 8:20 p.m. on NBC.

The team announced on Saturday they have activated Roethlisberger from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Roethlisberger tested positive on Nov. 13 while being fully vaccinated. Per ESPN, he flew separately to Los Angeles on Saturday.

The 39-year-old missed last Sunday's 16-16 tie against the Lions, which brought the Steelers' four-game win streak to a halt.

Mason Rudolph got the start in his absence, which was felt from the get-go. Rudolph completed 30-of-50 passes for 242 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

After a slow start to the season, Roethlisberger has been much better in the past four games, throwing six touchdowns with zero interceptions. On the season, he's completing 65.6 percent of his passes for 1,986 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Even with Big Ben back, Pittsburgh is a six-point underdog on the road, per FanDuel Sportsbook. Meanwhile, the Chargers come in having lost three of their last four games.

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Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada said on Thursday that Roethlisberger attended meetings via Zoom all week.

"I've talked to him every day," Canada said. "Talked about the plan, talked about what we're thinking. Obviously, he's also met with Sully every day and gone through the specifics of those things.

"He's preparing like he's going to be there and be ready to go. It's almost exactly like last year. It's just all Zoom meetings. We've all got practice at that. He's very much engaged, watching practice and knowing what's going on."