Even if the Steelers manage to just go 15-1, or 14-2 Ben should still be a favorite to win the MVP.
You can gauge a quarterback’s level on a few things. You could go by stats, you could go by wins, or even by championships, there a plenty of ways to judge quarterbacks. Without a doubt, Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers should be the MVP this year, that is if he continues this ridiculous amount of success he is having.
Big Ben is having a big year statistically.
First and foremost, statistically Ben is having one of his best seasons to date in a few metrics. Heading into Week 12, he is boasting the second-highest completion percentage he has ever posted on a season at 67.1%. He has town 24 touchdowns in just 10 games, and the highest he has ever posted in a season was 34. At his current rate, he would end the season with 38 touchdowns.
He is also on his way to ending a regular season with the lowest interception totals he has ever had, at just 5 interceptions through 10 games on the season. More than half of those came in a rough outing against Tennessee in Week 7. Aside from that single 3 interception game, he has taken care of the ball better than he ever has in his hall of fame career.
The only metric he is having a down year in is his yardage. He is only throwing 253.4 yards per game, which is the 8th lowest total of his career. That has more to do with his team’s ability to give him a short field to work with. The defense and special teams for Pittsburgh has been so strong, it almost feels more common for Pittsburgh to start in opposing territory vs. their own 25-yard line.
The award is called MVP for a reason.
MVP stands for the most valuable player. At this time last season, the Steelers were 5-5, had just dropped a loss to the Cleveland Browns 7-21, and Mason had played his last full game before Devlin “Duck” Hodges took ever temporarily. This was also the game that saw Myles Garrett hit Mason Rudolph in his head, with his own helmet no less.
Offensively, the offense added Eric Ebron and Chase Claypool, while shifting the offensive line a little bit. However, the Steelers are starting nearly all of the same skill players as they had in 2019. The hugest difference between 2019 and 2020 is the man under center. He has taken the Steelers offense to new heights in 2020. They are on pace to average 30 points or more in a game for the first time in Steelers history.
In comparison to 2019, the 2020 offense looks completely different statistically. The Steelers went from being last in the NFL in RedZone touchdown percentage, to 7th in 2020. Not only in the RedZone but all over as well. The Steelers went from 16.6 first downs in a game in 2019, to 21.3 in a game in 2020. The most astonishing impact is what was made in the run game.
In 2019, the Steelers were clearly trying to be a run-first team due to their QB situation. In 2020 the Steelers are clearly a pass-first team and they are still averaging 10 more yards per game than they did in 2019. The presence of a real quarterback under center has opened up the entirety of this offense. Ben is clearly the most valuable player to any team in the NFL at this point. He took the Pittsburgh Steelers from being a team, that had no business even being in playoff contention, to being the number 1 seed in the AFC in the course of a year.
He isn’t putting up the gaudiest stats. Yet, Ben is showing that he is the most valuable player, in the most valuable position, on a team that is on the verge of making history in 2020. This is all happening on one of the weirdest seasons in NFL history, in terms of circumstances caused by Covid-19. If the Steelers do as well as 14-2 he should be in strong consideration for this award. However, if they go undefeated, then there isn’t even a debate on who the league MVP should be for the 2020 season.