Roethlisberger undergoes MRI after suffering injured left foot

If Ben Roethlisberger is going to help turn around the Pittsburgh Steelers, he's going to have to do it on one foot. Again.

The quarterback underwent an MRI on his left foot Monday after a 17-10 loss to Houston. His status for Sunday's game against Tennessee remains uncertain.

Roethlisberger injured the foot in the fourth quarter but stayed on the field until the final seconds. He wore a protective boot while gingerly making his way out of the locker room.

If he plays -- and Roethlisberger insists he will do everything in his power to be on the field -- it won't be the first time he has given it a go with a bad wheel. He played the second half of the 2010 season with a broken bone in his right foot and managed to lead Pittsburgh to the AFC title.

"We saw I had to do that last year, I casted up my foot for the last half of the year," he said. "If we have to do it, I'll do it."

Pittsburgh (2-2) certainly needs him under center. If Roethlisberger can't start, then 36-year-old Charlie Batch would get the nod against the Titans.

n GIANTS -- Coach Tom Coughlin said he thinks referee Jerome Boger and his crew made the right call in ruling that receiver Victor Cruz was giving himself up and didn't fumble after making a catch on the game-winning touchdown drive Sunday at Arizona.

Coughlin looked at the videotape of Cruz's 19-yard catch with about three minutes left and said there is no doubt in his mind Cruz was giving himself up when he went down at the Cardinals' 29-yard line.

Cruz put the ball on the turf after going down and the Cardinals recovered, believing it was a fumble since Cruz had not been touched down. Boger ruled that Cruz gave himself up and added the Cardinals could not challenge the ruling.

The NFL noted that Rule 7, Section 2, Article 1 states that the ball is dead and the down ended once a runner declares himself down by falling to the ground, or kneeling, and making no effort to advance.

n BROWNS -- Coach Pat Shurmur defended his use of Peyton Hillis, saying the bruising running back did not get less playing time Sunday against Tennessee because of his unresolved contract issue or punishment for missing Cleveland's Sept. 25 game against Miami with strep throat.

Shurmur was emphatic that Hillis' role this season is not being influenced by ongoing negotiations with the Browns on a contract extension.

On Sunday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported there were whispers in Cleveland's locker room that Hillis' contract issues were a factor in him missing the Dolphins game.

In other Browns news, Pro Bowl center Alex Mack underwent emergency surgery to have his appendix removed, one day after he felt sick but played all 87 snaps in Cleveland's loss to Tennessee on Sunday.

Also, cornerback Joe Haden sprained his left knee in the loss. Shurmur said he expects Haden to "miss some time."

n VIKINGS -- Coach Leslie Frazier said he isn't ready to bench veteran quarterback Donovan McNabb for rookie Christian Ponder, the team's first-round pick.

The Vikings (0-4) rank 31st in the league in passing offense. McNabb has thrown for 680 yards, the fewest of any quarterback to start all four games.

"I mean, there are a lot of things we need to correct on our football team based on the fact that we're 0-4," Frazier said. "But, at this point, quarterback change isn't one of those changes."

n BRONCOS -- Despite Denver's 1-3 start, Kyle Orton remains entrenched as the starting quarterback, even as Tim Tebow fans clamor for him to get more playing time.

Coach John Fox reiterated that a quarterback change isn't the cure-all with the Broncos coming off a loss at Green Bay.

Orton has thrown eight touchdown passes but has been intercepted six times and lost two fumbles.

n TEXANS -- Star receiver Andre Johnson is nursing an injured right hamstring, and his availability for Sunday's game against Oakland is uncertain as the team seeks other medical opinions.

Coach Gary Kubiak said Johnson will "miss some time," though he said that could range from three to four days to a "few weeks."

n JETS -- Linebacker Bryan Thomas is out for the season after sustaining a torn left Achilles tendon in Sunday's loss at Baltimore.

n TITANS -- Safety Chris Hope will need surgery on his broken left forearm and probably will miss four to six weeks.

He was hurt early in Sunday's victory at Cleveland, his first start after missing two games due to a dislocated shoulder.

n PACKERS -- Suspended defensive lineman Johnny Jolly was jailed in Houston after his third drug arrest in three years. Jolly was charged Saturday with possession of a compound containing codeine.