What in the World is Happening With Big Ben?

By Damon Turbit 11-04-14

Ben Roesthlisberger has always been recognized as one of the better quarterbacks in the National Football League, but never as a guy with Most Valuable Player potential. Now, in his 11th season under center in Pittsburgh, he has managed to place himself into the MVP conversation after an unprecedented two-game stretch.

Roesthlisberger’s tear began two weeks ago when the Steelers took on the Indianapolis Colts in an important AFC matchup. The Steelers had not been able to accrue wins in back-to-back weeks until that point, but the 6’5 241-pound Roesthlisberger changed that with a performance bigger than his frame. In a 51-34 victory, he completed 40 of his 49 passing attempts for 522 yards and 6 touchdowns. Finishing the day just 32 yards and a touchdown shy of NFL single-game records, he conducted one of the greatest, if not the greatest, performances in league history.

Big Ben did not stop after one dominating performance, as he got the sweetest revenge on Sunday night against Pittsburgh’s most bitter rival, the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers had been blown out in Baltimore earlier this season in a game where Roethlisberger did not throw for a single touchdown. In fact, he had only thrown six touchdowns in his last six contests against the Ravens.

Roethlisberger followed up his legendary performance with yet another one, completing 25 of his 37 passes for 340 yards and six more scores in a 43-23 blowout. The Steelers quarterback was able to set an NFL record for most touchdown passes in a two-game span with 12.

In the past two weeks, he has connected on 65 of his 86 passing attempts for a total of 862 yards and 12 touchdowns. Furthermore, he has put up those numbers while not throwing a single interception.

The MVP award can and will not be won in a two-game span, but it has certainly helped Roethlisberger’s case. Through the first nine weeks, he now ranks second in passing yards, tied for second in touchdown passes and tied for first in fewest interceptions out of quarterbacks with at least 200 passing attempts.

His stats against the Jets next week remain to be seen, but the big guy has a few days to enjoy his record, and his team’s record, which is now 6-3.