Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger says he is “OK” after returning from a rib injury in the team’s 24-21 defeat to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

Moreover, Roethlisberger assumes he will be available for next week’s big matchup against the New England Patriots.

“You're asking how I feel during a football game where I'm getting beat up,” said Roethlisberger, who finished 25-of-29 passing for 282 yards and two touchdowns. “So, I felt OK.”

Roethlisberger left the field before halftime and didn't return until 5 minutes, 20 seconds were left in the fourth quarter. He was able to lead the Steelers to a touchdown drive to give the team a 21-17 fourth-quarter lead, but Derek Carr came right back to lead the Raiders to a game-winning touchdown drive.

The Steelers still had a chance to tie the game on a field goal, but kicker Chris Boswell slipped as he was about to kick the ball.

With the loss, the Steelers have now dropped three games in a row. They are now 7-5-1 and remain a half-game ahead of the Baltimore Ravens atop the AFC North.

Apart from Roethlisberger, the Steelers are also awaiting the status of running back James Conner against the Patriots. Conner missed the Raiders game due to a sprained ankle.

Considering how well Roethlisberger played after his return as well as the fact that it’s the Patriots, it seems hard to imagine that he’d miss next week’s game. But if he does somehow miss out, the Steelers would be hard-pressed to end their losing skid without their star QB.