It’s now or never for a surging Ben Roethlisberger
He’ll never be in the MVP conversation nor will he get flags thrown in his favor, but everyone in Pittsburgh knows who the hot quarterback is headed into the home stretch of the 2017 NFL season.
That quarterback is none other than Ben Roethlisberger; undoubtedly the greatest passer in the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Following a crushing loss in the AFC Championship game last season, Roethlisberger went on his radio show and said some comments in which members of the media took as hinting toward early retirement. Since that moment, critics questioned if Big Ben’s heart, and arm, were still into playing professional football. So much so, that following a rare five-interception game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the quarterback quipped at a reporter’s question by saying “Maybe I don’t have it anymore.”
Those of us with any sense knew this as the same dramatic Big Ben that we heard after falling a game short of the Super Bowl last season. Roethlisberger has always been a fierce competitor and while some doubt was placed upon his return for another season, there was little doubt that he would, in fact, hang up his boots for good.
Fast forward to December 2017, and Roethlisberger is playing some of the best football in the league, and perhaps some of his best football ever. Pro Football Focus currently has him as the second-best graded quarterback based on a variety of criteria.
Big Ben's recent play has him ranked 2nd in PFF grade pic.twitter.com/XLFDD6Ueum
— PFF (@PFF) December 21, 2017
However, we don’t need the hocus pocus of PFF to realize that Roethlisberger has been on fire as of late. Over his last six games, the Steelers offense is starting to look as it was expected to in the preseason, averaging 29.5 points per game compared with 20.8 over the first eight and 409.8 yards per game compared with 363.8.
Ben himself has had a big turnaround as well.
Before the bye, Roethlisberger completed 61.09% of his passes for 2,062 yards, 10 touchdowns and 9 interceptions for an 82.7 quarterback rating. Since the bye, Big Ben has shattered those numbers with a 66.93% completion rate, 1,963 passing yards and 16 touchdowns to 5 picks. His quarterback rating is 102.3 over those last six games, which may not seem equal being two less than the eight referenced before the bye. However, realize that Roethlisberger has attempted less, but completed more passes over his last six games as opposed to the first eight (172 of 257 vs. 168 of 275).
Playing some of his sharpest football all year comes at an important time for the Steelers, who are trying to secure a bye and aren’t yet counted out of home field advantage in the playoffs with the top seed, should the Patriots stumble over the final two games. That means Pittsburgh also can’t fall to either of their next two opponents. Those opponents feature weak defenses with the four-win Houston Texans and the winless Cleveland Browns: prime picking for a QB in his prime.
Ben is also on one of the most talented Steelers teams in years, with an opportunity to finally get over the mountain and make another appearance in the Super Bowl. One more ring would also secure Ben’s place as one of the greatest to ever play the game.
Pile those notes on top of the conjecture of Big Ben’s retirement tease and that’s why it’s “now or never” for Roethlisberger.
