His 39-year-old shoulder is sore, but Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger moves up all-time NFL charts

Chris Adamski | Tuesday, December 7, 2021 2:41 p.m.

Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger looks on during the Baltimore Ravens’ final drive during Sunday’s game at Heinz Field. Roethlisberger continues to scale all-time NFL leaders lists during what could be his final season.

Two-plus years removed from elbow surgery, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said that is no longer the part of his Hall of Fame right arm that he worries about.

“My elbow feels great, thanks to the doctors,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday before the only practice of this condensed week. “It’s just dealing with throwing. I wish someone could keep track, like, I’ve thrown a million throws in my life, so at some point your shoulder starts to wear down a little bit.”

With Roethlisberger’s career perhaps entering its final month of regular-season play, his arm had the look of being as strong as it has at any point in recent seasons during this past Sunday’s win against the Baltimore Ravens. Roethlisberger had a perfect passer rating during the fourth quarter of the comeback victory, the 39th of his career — third-most in NFL history.

Ben Roethlisberger talks about 20-19 win and his future. pic.twitter.com/9bL1aiIcVv

— Joe Rutter (@tribjoerutter) December 6, 2021

Already fifth in NFL history in QB victories (162), eighth in touchdown passes (412) and fifth in completions (5,319), Roethlisberger can continue to scale some career league QB lists with a big game Thursday night at the Minnesota Vikings.

With 335 passing yards, he’d move ahead of Philip Rivers into fifth place all-time. Just 242 yards would make him one of five quarterbacks to have 16 seasons of at least 3,000 passing yards. A Steelers win would give Roethlisberger 245, within one of sixth-most all-time. A Steelers win combined with a Green Bay Packers loss would elevate Roethlisberger ahead of Aaron Rodgers for the fifth-best winning percentage as a starting quarterback in league history.

Has Big Ben begun to consider his stature amongst league lore?

“Not yet,” he said. “A lot of those things I don’t even know about until either my agent or a friend or (quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan) brings it up to me. And when it gets brought up, it’s humbling. It’s cool. It means I’ve played a long time. I just feel blessed. God has blessed me, like I said the other day, with an ability to throw a ball that not many other people in the world have been able to do. I’m just thankful.”

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