The Steelers aren't sweating quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's absence from practice this week in preparation for Sunday's hosting of the Cincinnati Bengals.
"We'll prepare and continue to prepare as if Ben's playing," offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said today.
Roethlisberger is participating virtually while waiting to be activated from the Steelers' Reserve/COVID-19 list.
"I know from a mental standpoint he'll be ready to go," Fichtner said.
Roethlisberger has been particularly ready in the second halves of recent wins over the Ravens on Nov. 1 in Baltimore and last Sunday over the Cowboys in Dallas.
The Steelers prepare for the Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Calvin Taylor (67) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Henry Mondeaux (99) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Olasunkanmi Adeniyi (92) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Carlos Davis (73) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Carlos Davis (73) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree (48) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Mike Hilton (28) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Antoine Brooks Jr. (25) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton (20) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Robert Spillane (41) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joe Haden (23) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ray Wilborn (46) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Calvin Taylor (67) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Marcus Allen (27) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Steven Nelson (22) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ray Wilborn (46) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ray Wilborn (46) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
The Pittsburgh Steelers practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
The Pittsburgh Steelers practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ray Wilborn (46) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud (14) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds (34) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton (20) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Demarcus Christmas (93) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Sean Davis (21) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
The Pittsburgh Steelers practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
The Pittsburgh Steelers practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Trey Edmunds (33) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joe Haden (23) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
And especially effective when running the no-huddle offense from an empty set with a skill-position group that's included wide receivers Chase Claypool, Ray-Ray McCloud, Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster, and tight end Eric Ebron.
"It's a highly-skilled group," Fichtner assessed. "Eric gives you some receiver-type ability from a coverage standpoint. I think you can dictate certain types of coverages that you might not get based on that type of group.
"It could eliminate certain protection-type issues or potentially create some isolations or in certain situations it might even create zone (coverage). It's a unique group, it's a pass group and it's a fun group when they're out there and they get a great opportunity to showcase their skills.
"Ben's done a nice job of keeping them all involved."
Roethlisberger has gone a combined 32-for-45 passing, for 353 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions in third and fourth quarters against the Ravens and Cowboys. The four-receiver grouping (Claypool, McCloud, Johnson and Smith-Schuster) and Ebron have been a critical component of comebacks from a 10-point halftime hole in Baltimore and a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit in Dallas.
Those two rallies have Fichtner at least contemplating spreading the field in such a fashion earlier in games.
"Sometimes game circumstance dictates the flow of where you have to go," he said. "I'd like to be more balanced. We talked about it, we push for it but sometimes it doesn't work itself in that direction. You gotta find out exactly where it fits.
"I'm not opposed to doing it earlier."
Or with a different group of five at the skill positions.
Wide receiver James Washington was on the field for Roethlisberger's final series in the first half at Dallas. Trailing 13-0 with 3:46 left before the intermission, the Steelers went with three wide receivers, Ebron and running back James Conner.
Washington caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger that caped a nine-play, 76-yard drive in 2:36 that got the Steelers onto the scoreboard and back in the game.
Washington is viewed as capable of playing multiple roles in the four-wide receivers package with Ebron if needed.
"There's no doubt he can," Fichtner said. "Somebody has to be able to handle every position if someone goes down. That kinda fell to James because I had a lot of trust and still have a lot of trust that he'd be able to fit in if Ebron went down or if JuJu went down.
"Some weeks you'll see he could be more involved in that grouping."
