Ben Roethlisberger vs. Drew Brees: Bigger slight in 'Top 100' QB rankings?

The latest episode of "The Top 100 Players of 2016" aired Wednesday night, counting down from No. 30 to No. 21 -- and those bookend rankings were filled by a pair of highly accomplished quarterbacks: Drew Brees (30) and Ben Roethlisberger (21).

Now, making the top 30 on this list isn't too shabby, but we do know that there are five QBs ranked above Brees and Roethlisberger. So ...

When it comes to a ranking of the top five quarterbacks of 2016, who is the bigger omission: Drew Brees or Ben Roethlisberger?

"The Top 100 Players of 2016" airs every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network until the full list has been revealed. The conversation continues on the "Top 100 Players Reaction" show, which airs immediately after at 9 p.m. ET.

It's absurd that Ben Roethlisberger isn't included as one of the top five quarterbacks on the list. The two-time Super Bowl champion is squarely in the prime of his career; as an efficient passer/playmaker from the pocket, his play has never been better. He's completed over 67 percent of his passes -- while also posting a yards-per-attempt average over 8.0 -- in each of the past two seasons. Thus, Roethlisberger is racking up big numbers while maintaining the consistency and efficiency that every offensive coach covets.

With Big Ben continuing to display clutch ability in key moments (two fourth-quarter-comeback wins in 11 starts last season), there is no reason to believe there are five quarterbacks in the league with a better overall game than the Steelers' star. I'm picking Drew Brees here. If you gave him the receivers that Ben Roethlisberger had last season, Brees would've thrown for 6,000 yards. He's logged multiple 5,000-yard seasons -- four, to be exact -- when no one else in NFL history has done that more than once. On top of that, he's had a different leading receiver four years in a row -- Brandin Cooks (2015), Kenny Stills (2014), Jimmy Graham (2013) and Marques Colston (2012).

Because of these reasons, I don't think there is any rationality in keeping Brees out of the top five. Big Ben is the bigger omission. He leads the most dangerous offense in football -- and did so last season with star running back Le'Veon Bell participating in just six games. Roethlisberger also remains impressive in so many areas -- including shaking off tacklers in the pocket -- and the only major knock on him is that he is getting more banged up as the years go by.

Bottom line: Roethlisberger is special when he's healthy and doesn't turn the ball over as often as Brees. I would say Ben Roethlisberger. I think Ben's ability to create (and prolong) plays makes the Steelers quarterback tougher to defend than Drew Brees. I also think Roethlisberger's uncanny ability to throw long puts more pressure on the defense.

That said, both are outstanding signal callers. If I had to pick a QB to go win a playoff game by throwing the football, I would take both of them over Cam Newton, Carson Palmer and Russell Wilson. It's Roethlisberger. He's a top-five QB. Always has been. Always will be. Sometimes he gets dinged in the court of public opinion because he doesn't put up fantasy football mega-numbers. He wins. He dominates the fourth quarter.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but if you don't have Big Ben as a top-five QB, you are wrong.