Analysts are always trying to tell you who's over the hill or who's the next face of the league. It seems like once a quarterback has established himself as elite for a few seasons, people begin trying to move him off the throne.
However, 2017 has been the year of seasoned veterans showing the young'ns who's boss. At 40 years old, Tom Brady leads the league in passing yards (2,541), completions (206), and pass attempts per game (38.6).
Brady has continued to be very efficient too, throwing 16 touchdowns and only two interceptions. However, the 18-year veteran isn't the only "older quarterback" putting up numbers. A quick look at the passing leaders this season shows you a couple other names that football fans have been hearing for years.
3 of the top 5 passers of 2017 are 35 years old or older
- Tom Brady (40) has thrown for 2,541 yards
- Ben Roethlisberger (35) has thrown for 2,062 yards
- Philip Rivers (35) has thrown for 2,028 yards
Roethlisberger and Rivers entered the league together as fresh-faced rookies back in 2004. The Giants selected Rivers at No. 4 (they later swapped picks with the Chargers for Eli Manning) and Big Ben was taken by the Steelers at No. 11. Thirteen years, 11 Pro Bowl selections, and nearly 100,000 yards (96,737, but who's counting) later, Rivers and Roethlisberger are proving they can keep up with the best of them.
Big Ben hit a rough patch earlier this season, but over the last three weeks, he's posted a quarterback rating of 99.6 and has the 6-2 Steelers leading the AFC North. His nine interceptions are a bit alarming, but don't forget that the majority (literally) of those came on his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Also, that game came against the team with the No. 1 pass defense in the league.
Rivers started the season 0-4, but the six-time Pro Bowler has led the Chargers to victory in three of the last four games -- even the loss against the Patriots on Sunday was relatively competitive. In the span of the month, Rivers has helped the Chargers go from hopeless to being one of the (many) teams in the wild-card hunt.
Rivers and Roethlisberger are proving they can still produce at a high level and Brady has a chance to become the oldest MVP in league history (Peyton Manning won at 37 in 2013). So, before you begin preparing drafts of your Twitter eulogy for any of the aforementioned, sit back and appreciate their dedication to their craft.
