Ben Roethlisberger had 'little setback'

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PITTSBURGH -- Ben Roethlisberger walked into the locker room Wednesday with more of a limp than he did last week, but the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback doesn't think his left ankle will affect him for Sunday's wild-card playoff game at Denver.

"I had a little setback early in the third quarter (at Cleveland last Sunday)," Roethlisberger said Wednesday. "We're working really hard with the trainers and doctors to get back to even where we were before the Cleveland game. I felt pretty good going in and moved a little bit at the beginning of that game. It's a little setback but we'll get moving."

Roethlisberger indicated that he probably got set back "about a week." Since spraining his ankle on Dec. 8, Pittsburgh has scored two touchdowns in 10 quarters with him on the field.

The Steelers listed him as a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.

With the injury, Roethlisberger hasn't been able to follow through on his passes because he is unable to put weight on his left leg. He has completed 56 of 96 passes (58.3 percent) for 729 yards. He has thrown one touchdown and four interceptions for a 68.4 passer rating.

Roethlisberger is unsure how he hurt his ankle last Sunday.

"I don't know if I caught it on the ground wrong or got hit ... we'll see," Roethlisberger said. "We'll be all right."

Center Maurkice Pouncey (left ankle) was also limited in practice while linebacker James Harrison (toe), defensive end Brett Keisel (right groin), running back Mewelde Moore (sprained left knee) and safety Troy Polamalu (right calf) did not practice. All but Moore are expected to play against the Broncos.

Jamison Hensley covers the AFC North for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Jamison Hensley

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• ESPN AFC North Blogger
• A University of Maryland graduate
• Lives in the Baltimore area with his wife