Ben Roethlisberger admitted that his elbow has been bothering him since Week 1 and it affected how he threw last week.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a bye after this Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals and Roethlisberger won't throw during the time off.

"I don't know that it's completely healthy," offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said of the quarterback's right elbow. "But I don't know that in any given season anyone — or any arm — is going to be completely healthy all the time.

"We try to do the right things to manage numbers of throws in the week, and I know that after this weekend he will get an extended rest and it will be good for him. But as far as being able to make throws, he can make the throws, and as far as practice, he can practice."