There was hope that Ben Roethlisberger‘s knee injury wouldn't keep him out for more than a couple games or so. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Monday, and the original timetable for his return was two-to-three weeks.

However, ESPN's Chris Mortenson now reports that the above timetable has been moved back to four-to-six weeks.

Luckily for Pittsburgh, they have a bye coming up in Week 8, so Big Ben will actually be out for three-to-five games. However, the pressure will be on this Sunday against Tom Brady and the Patriots, who certainly won't take their foot off the gas with Roethlisberger out. The 5-1 Dallas Cowboys are also on the docket in Week 10.

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Roethlisberger tore his lateral meniscus in this past Sunday's loss to the Miami Dolphins, but he actually managed to go back into the game after heading to the locker room. At the time, that appeared to be good news for the Steelers, but further tests proved otherwise.

Landry Jones went 1-1 in two starts last season with Big Ben out, and in seven appearances he has gained 513 passing yards, thrown three touchdowns, and tossed four interceptions.

If Roethlisberger is out for the full six weeks, he's slated to return against the New York Giants in Week 13.