Pittsburgh Steelers (10/1 to win Super Bowl XLVI) remain top of the AFC North after victory on Thursday night, but face the prospect of being without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger through injury.

The 29-year-old, a two-time Super Bowl winner, was forced to play through the pain during the 14-3 success over the Cleveland Browns after suffering a leg injury.

Roethlisberger was sacked by Cleveland’s Scott Paxson in the second quarter and his leg was trapped beneath him as he hit the turf.

Charlie Batch replaced him temporarily but ‘Big Ben’ returned to the pitch to lead his team to victory and move them onto a 10-3 record.

Roethlisberger responded with 280 yards passing and two touchdowns and will now have an MRI scan on Friday to discover the full extent of the problem.

The Steelers ace will have extra time to recover as Pittsburgh don’t play again until Monday December 19, when they face the in-form San Francisco 49ers (11/2 NFC Championship Winner) at Candlestick Park.

The Browns remain bottom of the AFC North, with a 4-9 record, and their play-off hopes have been killed off.