NFL Quarterback Power Rankings 2020: Patrick Mahomes is head of the class

Ben Roethlisberger suffered an elbow injury in the first half of Pittsburgh’s Week 2 loss last season. He needed season-ending surgery, but recently made comments that he’s now throwing without pain for the first time in years. If Big Ben stays healthy and Pittsburgh doesn’t overuse the veteran’s arm, he could easily perform like a top-ten quarterback this coming season.

Football fans often forget how well Roethlisberger played in 2018. That year, he led the NFL in pass attempts (675), completions (452), yards (5,129), and yards per game (320.6). Roethlisberger also led the NFL in interceptions with 16, but that was the first time a quarterback led the league with 16 or fewer interceptions since Joe Ferguson led the NFL with 16 interceptions in the 1982 season, which only ran for nine games because of a strike.

In other words, Roethlisberger carried Pittsburgh’s entire team in 2018 by putting up crazy numbers and setting a single-season personal best with 34 passing touchdowns. He also completed 67.0 percent of his pass attempts. In 2020, the Steelers should limit Big Ben to around 450 pass attempts for health and durability purposes. If Roethlisberger maintains his efficient style of play, he could still put up Pro Bowl numbers on a limited pass count.

While Roethlisberger played an unrefined style of game early in his career, the future Hall of Famer developed into an elite passer in his 30s. With a reliable offensive line and motivated skill players around him, Big Ben will bounce back in 2020.