If there was any doubt as to where Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger stood in terms of status in the NFL, Sunday’s game should have put those doubts to rest. Roethlisberger’s performance was among the very best in NFL history and really cements his status in the league as well as in franchise history.

In case you missed it, Roethlisberger went out last Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts and put up historic numbers en route to a 51-34 shootout victory.


Let’s take a closer look at some of these numbers

Roethlisberger went 40-for-49 passing for 522 yards. Big Ben also threw for six touchdowns to zero interceptions. 81.6 percent completion percentage, the fourth best passing game in terms of yardage and six TDs and no picks? That’s is a ridiculous game.

And don’t misunderstand it. This was a legit a 522-yard game as you will ever see. The Steelers put up 639 total yards of offense, and needed every one of them. It is one thing to devalue a passing performance if there is a lot of garbage-time scoring and yards when the other team is already too far behind.

In the case of Roethlisberger, he was going toe-to-toe with Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and was essentially trading punches for four quarters. Roethlisberger displayed elite vision as he completed passes to nine different Steelers players, topping the 400-yard effort by Luck is relative ease. It isn’t often a performance like Luck’s has to take second fiddle to anyone.

The real question is how does this performance impact Roethlisberger’s perception in the league?

Or to take it a step further, how does this change the point of view of Steelers’ fans as far as Big Ben’s place in Steelers lore? I guess that’s two questions.

Let’s address the first question. As of right now, Roethlisberger is No. 4 in the league in passer rating and No. 2 in the league in yards passing.  Roethlisberger only has 16 touchdowns in eight games, but keep this in mind. He has thrown eight of those in the past two games. With the addition of rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant into the lineup, look for this performance arc to continue the second half of the season.

Is Roethlisberger the best quarterback in the league? Most outside of Pittsburgh would probably say no. Typically it is players like Denver Broncos’ quarterback Peyton Manning or New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady who get the nod, along with Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Nevertheless, if I am wanting a quarterback who can elevate the players around him and carry a team to wins, it is hard to pass on Roethlisberger. As ESPN analyst John Gruden says, “Big Ben is just a different kind of cat.”

Bigger picture, what is Roethlisberger’s place in Steelers’ history? I’ve already made it clear even before the start of the season that I have Roethlisberger ranked ahead of Terry Bradshaw in terms of greatest quarterback in Steelers’ history.  What Big Ben has accomplished has been nothing short of remarkable. And when you consider that he is only 32 years old, it is highly probably that Big Ben still has five or six very productive seasons in him. That would mean Roethlisberger could realistically finish in the Top 10 in career passing yards.

And you know what that means? It means he’s a virtual lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and could be sporting even more Super Bowl hardware. Nevertheless, even if Roethlisberger never hoists another Lombardi Trophy, it will go down in history as the greatest quarterback in franchise history.