The Facts: Batch, buried so deep on the Steelers’ depth chart that he barely practiced during training camp, will start Sunday’s AFC North game against Baltimore.
Diehards Line:Batch hasn’t started successive games since midway through the 2005 season, when Ben Roethlisberger had a right knee injury. Batch started Sunday at Tampa Bay only because Dennis Dixon had left knee surgery last week and Byron Leftwich was recovering from a left knee injury, yet he completed 12 of 17 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns — his first scoring passes since 2007. Leftwich, expected to start throughout Roethlisberger’s four-game suspension, is healthy, but Tomlin said Batch earned the right to play.