Ben Roethlisberger has played through injuries before, but the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback could find himself sidelined for health reasons for the first time since 2009 at an inopportune time.

In a tight AFC playoff race, the Steelers will be without linebacker James Harrison when they visit the postseason-bound San Francisco 49ers on Monday night.

Pittsburgh (10-3) has been idle since winning its fourth straight with a 14-3 victory over Cleveland on Dec. 8. The 10-day layoff due to a Thursday night game came at a good time for the Steelers, who hope to get Roethlisberger on the field after he sprained his left ankle against the Browns.

Roethlisberger left in the second quarter but returned in the second half, finishing 16 of 21 for 280 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Veteran Charlie Batch relieved him and threw two incomplete passes.

Roethlisberger declined to talk to reporters Wednesday before walking out of the team's facility with a noticeable limp. Coach Mike Tomlin said the quarterback would be evaluated throughout the week before a decision is made, but that Roethlisberger wouldn't need to participate in a full practice in order to play.

"He can be ready to play on a limited number of snaps," Tomlin said. "We're going to take it day by day. We're always going to be optimistic when it comes to Ben."

Roethlisberger, who played through a broken thumb earlier this season, hasn't missed a start due to injury since a concussion sidelined him against Baltimore in 2009. He sat out the first four games of the 2010 season after violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. The Steelers went 3-1 in his absence with Dennis Dixon and Batch splitting the snaps.

"Those guys, they're not Ben," wide receiver Mike Wallace said. "They're great players, but Ben is something really special. So you have to change your game to what they do best."

While Roethlisberger's status isn't certain, that's not the case for Harrison, who got a one-game suspension from the NFL for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Browns quarterback Colt McCoy .

Though Harrison hasn't been fined for a hit in more than a year, he was considered a repeat offender under the 2011 League Policies for Players manual, leading to the suspension.

Harrison appealed the decision, but the NFL denied it Friday, citing his history of flagrant hits. This was his fifth on a quarterback.

"We're disappointed for James because we know how hard he's worked to play within the rules," Tomlin said. "We accept the judgment rendered by the league office and we'll move forward."

Harrison has eight sacks despite missing a month with a fractured right orbital bone and dealing with persistent back issues. The Steelers defense has given up 19 total points in the last three games, and Pittsburgh managed to go 4-0 during his earlier absence.

The 49ers (10-3) have clinched the NFC West, but have lost two of three and have some injury concerns of their own as they try to grab a first-round bye for the playoffs.

"You're the hunted now, you're not the hunter as much," coach Jim Harbaugh said. "You have a target on your back. That's raised. Not saying it wasn't like that before, but that expectation, that bar has raised."

After a 26-0 win over St. Louis on Dec. 4, they fell 21-19 at Arizona last Sunday. San Francisco had the ball inside the Cardinals 10-yard three times in the second quarter and came away with only field goals, then proceeded to blow a 12-point lead.

Alex Smith had one of his worst games of the season, completing 18 of 37 passes for 175 yards and no touchdowns.

Red-zone efficiency has been a problem all season for San Francisco, which is converting a league-worst 35.6 percent of its chances into touchdowns and has done so in just three of its last 19 trips.

Running back Frank Gore 's struggles down the stretch could be worsening the red-zone difficulties. After averaging 126.8 yards in five straight victories between Oct. 2 and Nov. 6, he hasn't topped 88 yards in the five games since, averaging 54.4. Gore suffered a knee injury in a win over the New York Giants on Nov. 13, and coach Jim Harbaugh says his top rusher is "not 100 percent," without specifying further.

Gore had 72 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown run in the third quarter last Sunday, but had only three carries in the second half.

This is the first meeting between the teams since Pittsburgh's 37-16 home victory in 2007. They last played in San Francisco in 2003, a game won 30-14 by the 49ers.

49ers beat Big Ben, Steelers 20-3

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- From the swirling winds off the bay that can play fits with the football to the 1989 earthquake that rocked the World Series, Candlestick Park has long been an unpredictable venue known for its challenges.

Monday Night Football nearly became a Monday Night Fiasco when everything went dark - twice.

San Francisco's lights-out return to prime time in a 20-3 victory over the Steelers helped salvage what could have been an embarrassing evening for everyone involved on the NFL's biggest stage after a pair of power outages delayed the game for close to 35 minutes in all.

"I just feel like San Francisco took a big step to show the NFL and to show the state of California that they need a new stadium," Steelers safety Ryan Clark said. "I think it was a very strategic move, and Candlestick may be no more."

Good thing there's a state-of-the-art $1 billion stadium in the works.

The 49ers rode their top-ranked run defense once again to keep ailing Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger off balance and maintain a hold on the NFC's No. 2 playoff seed and a first-round bye.

"Electric atmosphere tonight," tweeted team president Jed York - unclear if his pun was intended.

Vernon Davis caught a 1-yard touchdown pass for the 49ers (11-3) one play after setting himself up with a 21-yard reception from Alex Smith , Frank Gore ran for a 5-yard score and David Akers kicked field goals of 22 and 38 yards to overtake Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for San Francisco's single-season scoring record.

"I think we showed the world we can play the game of football on a national stage," Davis said. "At the end of the day that's what it's all about: respect."

The Steelers (10-4) missed a key chance to take sole possession of first place in the AFC North and gain the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed.

Roethlisberger, playing on a sprained left ankle that had Big Ben in a walking boot during the week, threw two early interceptions and another in the waning minutes - and a couple of light structures flickered as the final ticks elapsed.

Even all those Terrible Towel-waving Steelers supporters in the sellout crowd of 69,732 couldn't will their team when San Francisco's unique home-field advantage became two blackout delays.

"It's very frustrating to feel like you let down your team and your fans and your coaches. It's tough," Roethlisberger said. "I'm not going to make excuses. I played a bad football game, I turned the ball over and that one's on me."

San Francisco became the first team in NFL history to hold an opponent without a rushing touchdown through each of the first 14 games.

"I also want to recognize our defense," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. "NFL record for not allowing a rushing touchdown in 14 games. I think that is huge."

Carlos Rogers , Dashon Goldson and Tarell Brown made interceptions, while Rookie of the Year candidate Aldon Smith had 2 1/2 sacks for San Francisco's stingy defense.

The 49ers also have gone 36 games without allowing a 100-yard rusher. Rashard Mendenhall had 15 carries for 64 yards.

"This team has really become a team," Harbaugh said. I'm really proud of them for that."

Roethlisberger still finished 25 for 44 for 330 yards, but was sacked three times. After his second pick, he fumed as he limped off the field and could be seen yelling into his chin strap.

The 49ers made a big statement in their most meaningful home game since their last trip to the playoffs in January 2003, when San Francisco came from behind to stun the New York Giants 39-38 in one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history.

"It was probably the biggest home game since I've been here," Alex Smith said.

They had to wait 20 minutes to get started after the power went out the first time. It didn't seem to faze San Francisco.

"It wasn't too bad. It was unusual," said Alex Smith , who went 18 for 31 for 187 yards. "You don't expect to have to deal with it, and it happened twice. But it was the same for both teams."

Smith wasn't sacked after being taken down 18 times in the previous three games, including nine in the Niners' prime time flop at Baltimore on Thanksgiving night against Jim Harbaugh's big brother, John.

Jim Harbaugh prepared for the Steelers by comparing notes with his brother after the Ravens won both meetings this season with Pittsburgh in one of the AFC's fiercest rivalries.

The Steelers are 0-for-Harbaugh this season.

"I think we need to acknowledge that was 49er football tonight," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "We played the game on their terms."

The 37-year-old Akers, who long admired Rice from afar growing up in Kentucky, topped Rice's 138 points scored in 1987.

Yet Akers has said he doesn't feel deserving of the points mark over a great such as Rice - who clowned around on the field before the game catching passes from fellow Hall of Famer and former QB Steve Young, including one in the end zone.

It was after Akers' second field goal when everything went dark for a second time. Thousands of flashbulbs went off in the midst of the black, with thousands of fans sitting in darkness - including all those Steelers fans who travel the country with their team.

NFL security chief Jeff Miller said he witnessed a transformer blow up while he was monitoring a gate outside the stadium, where a shooting during the preseason already put a negative light on this venue.

The second delay came early in the second quarter and halted the game again between the playoff-bound teams for about 15 minutes. Miller and other NFL officials gathered in the press box to assess the situation, remaining in constant contact with the commissioner's office.

This was the 49ers' only Monday Night game this season and their final regular-season home game at Candlestick Park. The NFL certainly will want to make sure there are no problems when San Francisco hosts a home playoff game next month as NFC West champions - and Miller said he remains confident Candlestick can capably host a playoff game.

"Never in my life have I been a part of a blackout in a stadium," Davis said.

The Steelers missed linebacker James Harrison , who served his one-game suspension for a helmet to facemask hit on Browns quarterback Colt McCoy on Dec. 8.

"We better lick our wounds pretty quickly because we have a quick turnaround here," Tomlin said.

This marked the fourth time in Monday Night Football history that two teams faced off with 10 victories and a winning percentage of at least .750 - and San Francisco has played in all of them, the last on Dec. 15, 1997, with the 12-2 49ers vs. 11-3 Broncos.

Notes: The 49ers lost left tackle Joe Staley to a second-half leg injury. WR Ted Ginn Jr. injured his right ankle on the second-half kickoff. ... Pittsburgh managed just 84 yards rushing.

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