Roethlisberger vows to come back 'stronger and better than ever'

Ben Roethlisberger logged on to Twitter on Christmas morning and in addition to spreading some holiday cheer, he also relayed an important message about his future:

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback was lost to season-ending elbow surgery after he suffered an injury in Week 2.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported earlier in the week that Roethlisberger still hasn't been cleared to throw, but that the Steelers are optimistic about his recovery. The QB will turn 38 on March 2, and the surgery involved the reattachment of three tendons, according to Mortensen.

Pittsburgh's 8-7 heading into the final week of the season and will be without Roethlisberger and backup Mason Rudolph in a must-win game. The Steelers can still make the playoffs, but if they do, it'll be on the arm of Devlin Hodges.

Here's how Pittsburgh can qualify for the postseason, according to the NFL:

• PIT win + TEN loss or tie OR
• PIT tie + TEN loss OR
• TEN loss + IND win + OAK loss or tie OR
• TEN loss + IND win + PIT ties OAK in strength-of-victory tiebreaker*

The Steelers face the Baltimore Ravens at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday. The Ravens are resting Lamar Jackson, among others.