Ben Roethlisberger, not Patrick Mahomes, Favored to Lead NFL in Passing Yards
By Robert Duff in NFL Football
Updated: April 7, 2020 at 10:13 am EDTPublished:
- Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger has the best odds to lead the NFL in passing yardage
- Roethlisberger holds a 4,842-4,816 edge over Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes
- Roethlisberger and New Orleans’ Drew Brees shared the NFL passing yardage lead in 2014
What do Ben Roethlisberger and Jim Finks have in common?
They are the only Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks to lead the NFL in passing yardage.
Finks topped the league in 1955, passing for 2,270 yards. Roethlisberger’s 2014 title comes with an asterisk, since he shared the crown with Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. Both passed for 4,952 yards.
Sportsbooks think\ this is the year that the bell tolls for Big Ben to be all on his own atop the NFL passing yardage charts.
He enters the final week of the NFL regular season holding a 26-yard advantage over Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, and the sportsbook believes that when all is said and done with Week 17, Roethlisberger will still be the one atop the heap.
Odds to Lead NFL in Passing Yards in 2018 Season
| Team | Odds to Leads NFL in Passing Yards in 2018 Regular Season |
|---|---|
| Ben Roethlisberger | -130 |
| Patrick Mahomes | -110 |
*Odds taken 12/27
No Chiefs QB has ever led the NFL in passing yardage.
Looking back a month ago, either of these two could have been had at +210 as they trailed Matt Ryan.
Season On Line for Big Ben’s Steelers
In last week’s 31-28 loss to the Saints, Roethlisberger threw for 380 yards, which was his highest total in five weeks, as were his completions (33) and pass attempts (50).
The Steelers must win on Sunday and get some help in order to make the playoffs.
Ben Roethlisberger on playoff chances: “Nothing else matters” if Steelers don’t take care of business Sunday against Cincinnati. pic.twitter.com/UlYu2CPuLF
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) December 27, 2018
The loss of running back James Conner to an ankle injury in Pittsburgh’s Week 13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers certainly forced Roethlisberger to put the ball in the air with more frequency.
But Conner is expected to play Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, which could impact how often the Steelers pass the football. On the other hand, a more-balanced offense could also open up the passing game.
Record-Setting Roethlisberger
Roethlisberger needs 111 yards to surpass his 2014 franchise-record total of 4,952 yards. He’s already established a new Steelers mark with 33 touchdown passes.
Ben Roethlisberger has set a single-season franchise record for the most touchdown passes with 33 in 2018. #BensDay pic.twitter.com/UsMSU75d5O
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 26, 2018
He’s also just 158 yards away from becoming the sixth QB in NFL history to pass for 5,000 yards in a single season.
Ben Roethlisberger vs Patrick Mahomes
| 4,842 | Passing Yards | 4,816 |
| 299.0 | Average passing yards last 3 games | 297.6 |
| Bengals (275.7) | Passing yards allowed per game by Week 17 opponent | Raiders (236.2) |
No one need tell the Steelers the kind of impact Mahomes has made on the NFL in this, his first season as a starter. In Week 2, a 42-37 win at Pittsburgh, Mahomes passed for 326 yards and six TDs.
Mahomes topped 300 yards in eight of his first nine games, but since a 478-yard, six-TD performance against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11, he’s passed for 300 yards once in the last four games.
Roethlisberger went over 300 yards last week for the first time in four weeks, and he’s topped 300 yards just once in Pittsburgh’s last five victories.
But the Steelers absolutely must win on Sunday, so you know that they will pull out all the stops, which certainly favors Big Ben in this battle.
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
