It was a rough day in Atlanta for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

They lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to an injury, and lost the game to the Falcons in overtime, 41-38.

Steelers’ head coach Bill Cowher said he won't know for a few days whether Big Ben will play next week at Oakland.

Early in the third quarter, Roethlisberger released a pass just before he was hit by three Atlanta defenders. At least one of the Falcons appeared to hit him in a helmet-to-helmet blow.

Roethlisberger was knocked unconscious. He was on the turf for at least five minutes before he eventually got up and walked off the field.

He was carted into the locker room for x-rays and would watch the rest of the game on the sidelines.

If Big Ben cannot go up against the Raiders on Sunday, backup quarterback Charlie Batch would get his second start of the season.

Big Ben has been through a lot within the past year. He was seriously hurt on June 12 in a motorcycle accident that gave him a concussion, among other injuries.

Then in early September, Roethlisberger had an emergency appendectomy. The surgery caused Big Ben to miss the Steelers' opener against Miami.

The loss leaves the Steelers two games behind the leaders in the AFC North.

Cincinnati beat Carolina, moving them into a first-place tie with the Ravens, who were idle.

The Bengals and Baltimore are both 4-2. The Steelers are 2-4, in third place.

Note: You will be prompted to set up an account once done with your message