ARLINGTON, Texas -- Don't sweat it. Ben Roethlisberger's injured left knee is no big deal.
Take it from No. 7 himself, when I asked if he had any reason to be worried about it moving forward.
"No, I'll be fine," Roethlisberger replied with a slight smile. "Thank you for asking."
All good now?
If not, consider this ...
With 1:52 left before halftime of the Steelers' 24-19 victory over the Cowboys on this Sunday night at AT&T Stadium, Roethlisberger was hit low by Dallas defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, then, as he was falling back, had his head struck by defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. He immediately clutched the knee.
He immediately clutched the knee and was down for about a minute, then stayed in for the next four plays, including a touchdown pass to James Washington.
"Someone hit me in the right side of the knee, and it felt like it bent my knee a little bit," Roethlisberger recalled. "You know, that's part of the game of football. Guys get hit all the time. I just had some discomfort so, end of the half, we thought we'd head in to get it looked at. Doc just wanted me to keep him updated in the second half, so ... I was just keeping it loose, keeping it warm."
But, when the Steelers regained possession shortly after that -- a Cam Sutton forced fumble and Minkah Fitzpatrick recovery -- Roethlisberger was already in the locker room being examined by Dr. James Bradley, who'd escorted him off the field, and, thus, was replaced on the final drive of the half by Mason Rudolph.
If the Steelers sustained any other injuries, they weren't evident or announced. Mike Tomlin said, "No real health issues to report," saying of Roethlisberger only, "Ben was able to go back in the game and play."
Mike Hilton missed his third full game with a shoulder injury, though it's reasonable to expect he'll be back next week, as he was a limited practice participant this past week and had a doubtful status entering this game.
The Steelers' other inactives were nose tackle Tyson Alualu (knee), fullback Derek Watt (hamstring), quarterback Josh Dobbs, offensive lineman Derwin Gray and tight end Zach Gentry. Linebacker Avery Williamson, acquired from the Jets a week ago, suited up for the first time and performed on special teams.
The Cowboys had running back Ezekiel Elliott despite a hamstring injury that had him questionable. The same was true of edge rusher Aldon Smith, who had a knee injury and was questionable. Their inactives were linebacker Joe Thomas (wrist), wide receiver Malik Turner, safety Reggie Robinson, fullback Sewo Oloniula and defensive end Bradley Anae. They also lost center Tyler Biadasz in warmups to a hamstring injury.