NFL History: 50 greatest quarterback-wide receiver tandems in NFL history

DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 27: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions celebrates with teammate Calvin Johnson #81 after a first quarter touchdown the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field on October 27, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

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Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

The 38th greatest quarterback-wide receiver duo in NFL history: Hines Ward & Ben Roethlisberger

Before we fully dive into the pairing of Hines Ward and Ben Roethlisberger, Ward should be a Hall of Famer. There simply aren’t many wide receivers in the history of the game who racked up at least 12,000 yards and 85 touchdowns to go along with four Pro Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl rings.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of our system, we can move forward with the topic at hand.

From 2004-2011, Roethlisberger and Ward were considered one of the elite duos in the entire NFL. Although Roethlisberger was initially thought of as a game manager, when he wasn’t busy doing several nauseating check downs, he found time to get Ward the ball down the field.

Sure, naysayers will point to Ward’s three seasons in which he eclipsed a thousand yards and his lack of overall big time numbers, but when they were both on the field, the Steelers won a ton of games. In fact, only once during their time together did they produce a losing season. In five of those seven seasons, the Steelers made a playoff run. And ultimately, when it was all said and done, the pair pocketed two rings. Winning is something we have no choice but to reward.

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