The playing status of four prominent starting quarterbacks has been in question entering this week’s games because of injuries suffered last week.
Jay Cutler already has been ruled out for the Bears’ game tomorrow night against the 49ers — whose starter, Alex Smith, may or may not play either. Both suffered concussions last week.
Eagles injury-prone starter Michael Vick has also been ruled out for today’s game against the Redskins in Washington.
None of the above quarterback injuries, however, is more potentially damaging to his team than the Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger, who has been ruled out of tonight’s critical AFC North showdown with the first-place Ravens.
That’s because the next three weeks very well may determine the outcome of the division, with the Steelers and Ravens playing twice in that span and Baltimore entering today with a one-game lead on Pittsburgh.
The 7-2 Bears, who have a one-game lead over the Packers in the NFC North, are in better position to sustain the Cutler injury, that likely won’t have him out of the lineup for more than a week. The same goes for the 6-2-1 49ers with Smith, since they own a comfortable lead in the NFC West.
Vick and the 3-6 and the Eagles appear to be free-falling their way out of playoff contention.
But for the Steelers and Roethlisberger, who suffered an “SC sprain’’ (sternoclavicular dislocation) and a shoulder injury last week, these next three weeks are the most crucial on the schedule.
His injury could not have come at a worse time, because this looks like it could be something that might keep him out multiple games, possibly through both meetings with the Ravens.
The uncommon injury, in which the central end of the clavicle separates from the sternum (chestbone), is potentially dangerous because if he takes a hit in the wrong place, a bone could pierce his heart. So this doesn’t appear to be one of those typical injuries when the tough Roethlisberger shakes it off and plays hurt.
Given the nature of the potential danger, Roethlisberger is going to have to be medically cleared before suiting up again, with no gray areas.
Veteran Byron Leftwich will start for the Steelers, but because Roethlisberger has been so durable in his career, Leftwich has not played much.
The Steelers have played in 137 games since Roethlisberger’s rookie year in 2004 and he has missed just 14 of them, including a four-game suspension he served in 2010. In that span, the Steelers are 86-37. Thanks to their often dominating defense, they are 9-5 without him.
That defense, however, is not as dependable as it has been in the past, particularly with safety Troy Polamalu injured.
So that makes the upcoming stretch critical for the Steelers, who could have a tiebreaker problem in the wild-card race if they fall back. They are just 3-3 in AFC games so far, so two losses to the Ravens could put their playoff possibility in peril if they’re in competition with the Colts, Broncos, Bengals or Chargers.
Aside from the two games against the Ravens, the Steelers play the Browns twice, Bengals once and Chargers in the next seven games.
The value of a franchise quarterback cannot be overstated, as evidenced by the success of the teams who have a successful one — like the Steelers — and the struggles of those who do not. The Dolphins, for example, are on their 16th starting quarterback since Dan Marino retired in 1999 and have advanced to the playoffs just once since 2001.
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com