"The tattoo along the side of his foot just beneath Ben Roethlisberger's injured left ankle reads, "Psalm 37:34." One translation of the biblical verse is, "Though he stumble, he shall not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand."

It was, it turns out, prophetic for the Steelers quarterback in Pittsburgh's 14-3 victory.

He stumbled with 5:59 left in the first half when he was sacked by Browns defensive linemen Scott Paxson and Brian Schaefering. He fell, too, when Paxson popped Roethlisberger in his lower leg and it twisted awkwardly.

"I thought my leg was broken, to be honest," Roethlisberger said afterward. "It's one of the most painful things I've ever felt. I felt like my foot was outside my leg."

Immediately, Roethlisberger limped to the locker room. X-rays were negative, but it was, it turns out, a high ankle sprain. His Steelers were up only 7-3. They were tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the divisional lead coming into the game, with a 9-3 record. He needed Pittsburgh to win.

So when the second half began, Roethlisberger began warming up along the sideline. He threw awkwardly. He handed off without any grace. But he was there because he had to be.

"I just didn't want to let the guys down," he said.

He was not, as the Bible verse said, going to fall, even if he stumbled. He completed eight of 12 passes in the second half for 178 yards, finishing with 280 for the night. He connected with receiver Antonio Brown for a 79-yard touchdown pass with 2:52 remaining that put the game out of reach. "