Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger left Thursday’s practice after turning his right ankle but expects to play on Sunday against Cincinnati.
Roethlisberger says he stepped on a teammate’s foot while dropping back to pass but insisted he is fine. He spent the latter portions of practice in the training room but was with the rest of the team when the locker room was open to the media afterward.
Dealing with ankle injuries is nothing new to Roethlisberger, who played the final month of the 2011 season with a badly sprained left ankle. He is off to the best start of his career and ranks fourth in the NFL with a 99.9 quarterback rating for the Steelers (2-3).
49ers 13, Seahawks 6
Delanie Walker caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Alex Smith with 4:36 left in the third quarter to rally the host San Francisco 49ers.
The Seahawks (4-3) held a 6-3 lead at halftime as Steven Hauschka hit a 52-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 35-yarder in the second.
Walker’s touchdown gave the 49ers (5-2) their first lead of the game. David Akers kicked his second field goal of the game in the fourth quarter.
Garcon doubtful Sunday
Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan says injured receiver Pierre Garcon is a “long shot” to play against the New York Giants on Sunday.
Garcon, a former standout at Mount Union, missed practice a second day in a row Thursday, getting treatment for the painful swelling on the bottom of a right toe that has kept him out of three of Washington’s past five games. He’ll skip practice Friday, too.
Shanahan says Garcon has received injections in an effort to help the toe.
Garcon probably won’t play against the Giants, but Shanahan says: “I’m not going to declare him out, because you never know for sure.”
Garcon only has eight catches for 153 yards this season.
Garcon signed a $42.5 million, five-year contract as a free agent this offseason.
Lions add cornerback
The Detroit Lions signed cornerback Alphonso Smith and released running back Keiland Williams.
Detroit is desperate for help at cornerback, because Bill Bentley and Jacob Lacey missed Thursday’s practice. Bentley was held out with a shoulder injury and Lacey because of a concussion
Smith was among the Lions’ final cuts just before the season.
Detroit originally acquired him from the Denver Broncos two years ago for tight end Dan Gronkowski. Smith had three interceptions in 11 games last season, including one start, and has eight interceptions in his three-year career.
Williams had just two carries for 3 yards rushing this season.
He has run for 459 yards and five touchdowns in two-plus seasons with the Lions and Washington Redskins.
Vikings rest Peterson
The Minnesota Vikings held Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen out of practice as a precaution because of minor injuries, but expect to have both available against Arizona on Sunday.
Peterson has been playing through a sprained left ankle for the past few weeks. He says the ankle feels worse this week than it did this time last week, but he still fully expects to be on the field against the Cardinals.
Allen is bothered by a groin injury. He is still looking for his first multi-sack game of the season.
