"Ben Roethlisberger and Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey have been diagnosed with high-ankle sprains that could have turned out a lot worse.

Pouncey said his sprain is not nearly as bad as the one that kept him out of Super Bowl XLV and expects to play Monday night in San Francisco.

Roethlisberger and Pouncey each have Grade 1 ankle sprains -- the least damaging type of sprain (Grade 3 is the most severe). But, unlike Pouncey, who was injured in the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns and did not return, Roethlisberger returned to the game in the second half.

Pouncey made the same "I will play" declaration before the Super Bowl, even though the coaches and trainers knew he wasn't going to play. Pouncey injured the same ankle in the AFC championship game against the New York Jets."