With Roethlisberger and Batch Injured, What Is Next for Steelers?

One game back of the Cincinnati Bengals, the Pittsburgh Steelers entered the weakest part of their schedule. With the exception of playing the Baltimore Ravens twice, the only potential playoff team the Steelers play against is the Miami Dolphins.

The only position on the Steelers that looked the most set on Sunday morning was the quarterback. Not anymore.

In the beginning of overtime, Ben Roethlisberger took a knee to his head and the injury, as Mike Tomlin says, is concussion-related. Charlie Batch stepped in, and his first pass was a 19-yard strike to Santonio Holmes for a first down.

The reason the Steelers brought back Charlie Batch was for situations such as this. To come in for a drive, or a game or two while Ben Roethlisberger was injured. Now, Batch is injured as well.

Details are sketchy at this point, but Batch has an injury to his wrist, which will require surgery, and keep him out of action for up to six weeks.

In the 2007 draft, the Steelers selected Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon in the fifth round of the NFL draft. Dixon was believed to have first-round potential, but due to a torn ACL during his senior season, Dixon fell to the fifth round. Dixon was drafted to eventually backup Ben Roethlisberger.

With the injury to Roethlisberger and Batch out of commission, Dixon is next in line to be under center for the Steelers, but is he ready?

Dixon spent his rookie season rehabilitating his ACL, and even though he was not going to get much playing time, the Steelers kept him on the team roster because they knew if they were to put him on the practice squad, another team would sign him away.

Dixon was kept off of the IR because they wanted him to be able to continue practicing with the team. Dixon did just that.

Through the offseason, Dixon stayed in Pittsburgh working with Limas Sweed on his timing and learning the playbook. He has made a commitment to become the player teams thought would be available in the draft, prior to injury.

Dixon has waited patiently on the sidelines, carrying his helmet and clipboard, waiting for his chance to play. He may be getting his chance.

Sunday night, the Steelers will travel to Baltimore to play the Ravens. The Ravens are known as a blitzing team that loves to apply pressure to the quarterback. Even without Terrell Suggs, they are going to be sending people at who ever is under center.

Roethlisberger is known for keeping plays alive, scrambling when necessary, and making plays on the run. Dixon does not have the experience of Roethlisberger, but he can run considerably better than him.

In the preseason, it was obvious that Dixon was trying to stay in the pocket and show the Steelers that he was not going to be a run-first quarterback. As the preseason wore on, Dixon started to show his running abilities when plays broke down.

Two games behind the division leaders, the Steelers are entering their first "must-win" game. If the Steelers cannot defeat the Ravens, they will fall three games back (if the Bengals win) of Cincinnati, and lose their grip on the inside track to the wild-card playoff position.

If Roethlisberger does play, and gets further injured, then the Steelers' season could be over. Dixon may be called upon to play against the Ravens, and the Steelers future could rest upon Dennis Dixon.

This is Dixon's chance to prove that the Steelers made the right decision drafting him in the fifth round, and the other 31 teams made a mistake in not taking the chance on him.

Either way, we are going to find out how good of a job the Steelers' scouts did in evaluating Dixon, and if the Steelers found the steal of the draft.

Update: profootballtalk.com is now reporting that the Steelers have contacted the agents for Cleo Lemon and Jeff Garcia, who will both be in Pittsburgh for work outs on Tuesday.