PITTSBURGH — A day later, the way the Pittsburgh Steelers manhandled the Miami Dolphins for long stretches during their lopsided wild-card win on Sunday felt just as good as it did the first time around.
“It was a pretty thing to watch,” right tackle Marcus Gilbert said.
Except for that one snap late in the fourth quarter with the Steelers up three scores and things well in hand, the one that left quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wearing a walking boot postgame after tweaking his right ankle when Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake fell on Roethlisberger’s legs during a third-down heave that led to an interception. Roethlisberger was face down on the turf for a moment before walking off and later jogging to the locker room at the end of the 30-12 beat down.
While he brushed it off afterward and there appears to be no concerns over his availability for next weekend’s visit to Kansas City, that didn’t make it easier for Gilbert to deal with, particularly when he was the one who let Wake get loose.
“When you saw that, honestly kind of felt sick to your stomach,” Gilbert said Monday.
“But you know he’s one of the toughest guys I’ve been around. You know he’s going to play through anything, get back up and do what he has to do to get to next week and play his kind of ball.”
Even if the prospect of having Roethlisberger still under center and throwing with Pittsburgh firmly in control late seemed an unnecessary risk to some, particularly on social media even after Pittsburgh reeled off its eighth straight win.
• Former Pro Bowl linebacker and current Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter was charged early Monday with assaulting a doorman at a bar and a police officer who intervened hours after the team’s win over Miami.
DOLPHINS: The NFL has begun a review of the concussion protocol conducted on Miami quarterback Matt Moore when he left his team’s playoff game at Pittsburgh after being shaken up.
Moore was hit in the chin as he threw a pass, and the play drew a roughing-the-passer penalty on Pittsburgh’s Bud Dupree. Dolphins medical staff attended to Moore on the field, and he was evaluated on the sideline by an independent neurological consultant and team physician before returning to the game.
Moore missed only one play in Miami’s 30-12 loss Sunday.
Under a procedure in the collective bargaining agreement, the league, in consultation with the NFL Players Association, will review documents and video and interview the parties involved to determine whether the protocol was followed properly. The review doesn’t mean the NFL has drawn conclusions as to whether the protocol was followed.
PACKERS: Receiver Jordy Nelson will sit out practice at midweek to focus on rehab for his rib injury. But Coach Mike McCarthy says Nelson could play in the Packers’ game this weekend in Dallas if he can practice Saturday.
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