Ben Roethlisberger has played football for a long time. How long?
During the week in which he made his first professional start, Ciara's "Goodies" (featuring the inimitable Petey Pablo) was the No. 1 song on Billboard's Hot 100. She was 18 years old.
Ciara is now 33 years old, and in case you've been living under a rock, is married to Russell Wilson, quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks.
Why is this relevant? Because in Roethlisberger's 15-year, future Hall of Fame career, he's rarely had as good a game as he did in Week 10, on Thursday Night Football.
That makes him our Unstoppable Performer for this, Week 10 of 2018 -- in which Travis Scott's "Sicko Mode" creeps closer to unseating Maroon Five atop the current Hot 100.
Unstoppable Performer
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
Thursday night might have been Roethlisberger's best game of his career.
This is no hyperbole. Consider this, from the fine folks at NFL Research: Roethlisberger is now only the second player in NFL history to have at least 300 passing yards and five touchdowns with three or fewer incompletions in a game. The only other QB to do so? NFL Network's own Kurt Warner, owner of a Gold Jacket.
To be exact, Roethlisberger finished 22 of 25 for 328 yards, five touchdowns and a perfect passer rating in a 52-21 rout of the Carolina Panthers. Each of his five scores went to different targets. Roethlisberger carved up the Panthers in stunning fashion while the Steelers posted their best and most complete win of the season in front of a national audience.
Perhaps they felt as if they were going overlooked? Maybe they wanted to send former minority owner David Tepper (now owner of the Panthers) a proper parting gift? Or maybe everything just came together at once.
Regardless, it was a statement win, led by the play of Roethlisberger on one of the best nights of his illustrious career.
Also considered ...
Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
We could keep this one short if we wanted to with this one sentence: Nick Chubb set the Browns' franchise record for longest run in its history.
That's a history that includes Leroy Kelly, Bobby Mitchell, oh and, um, Jim Brown.
That alone is enough for consideration, right? But allow us to toss in his other 19 carries, which amounted to 84 yards, and also didn't include his three catches for 33 yards and a receiving touchdown. The grand total: 209 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns, all on just 23 touches.
The Browns appear to have found their franchise quarterback in Baker Mayfield. Might they have also unearthed a lead back of the future? Only time will tell -- but Sunday was an encouraging glimpse of what could be ahead.
Matt Barkley, Buffalo Bills
We know, we too are surprised to be writing this. But surprises are the spice of life, as are random flashes of success that are as thrilling as they are fleeting.
Matt Barkley was Buffalo's lightning bolt in Week 10 and also the latest mercenary QB to line up for the Bills since Josh Allen went down with an elbow injury. He performed the best of any of them, by a wide margin.
Barkley completed 15 of 25 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns. Most importantly for a Bills fanbase jaded by the many interceptions of Nathan Peterman, Barkley didn't throw a pick. And incredibly, one of his touchdown passes went to his left tackle Dion Dawkins.
It was a remarkable afternoon for the Bills in all facets, and one so disastrous, every New York paper was calling for Todd Bowles' job 12 hours later. Not bad, Mr. Barkley.
