You can get better with age at some things. Football is not typically among them.
But an argument could be made that is exactly what is happening with Ben Roethlisberger and Phillip Rivers.
The two members of the quarterback class of 2004 are still going strong 15 years into their respective NFL careers and both are on record-setting paces.
The two will meet once again Sunday night at Heinz Field when the Steelers (7-3-1) host the Chargers (8-3) in a potential playoff preview.
Rivers enters Sunday's game fresh off a game in which he set an NFL record by completing a league-record 25 passes in a row on his way to setting the league single-game completion record of 96.6 percent (28 of 29) in a rout of the Arizona Cardinals.
That game helped boost Rivers' quarterback rating to a career-best 115.7.
"He’s an MVP-caliber player, and he’s playing at MVP-level right now," Roethlisberger said of Rivers. "What he did last week was pretty spectacular -- 25 (completions) in a row. It’s hard to follow all of the games on the West Coast, but it’s easy because he’s a quarterback to kind of keep track of how he’s doing."
Roethlisberger, meanwhile, is on pace to set career highs for passing yards and touchdown passes in a season. He's currently second in the NFL in passing yards, putting him on pace to top 5,000 for the season, something that's been done just eight times in league history.
He's on pace for 5,329 passing yards, which would be the third-highest total in league history.
It seems the old dogs still have plenty of tricks remaining.
"Shoot, we're probably similar in a lot of ways," Rivers said of Roethlisberger. "Obviously, he does a great job extending plays, moving around, hard to bring down, hard to sack. Probably made a lot more plays on the move than I have over the years. In a lot of ways, we both like to stand in there, don't mind holding on till the last second to make a throw, take a hit, all those things.
“He's been a heck of a player for them for a long time. It's never about the other quarterback. You have to worry about that defense. But I always enjoy and appreciate when the quarterback on the opposing side, whether you're linked from a draft class, whether it's a guy of his caliber, it's always awesome going against those teams led by those kind of guys.”
Roethlisberger, Rivers and the Giants' Eli Manning will forever be tied together as that quarterback class of 2004. Manning was selected first that year by the Chargers, then traded to the Giants for Rivers and some draft picks. Roethlisberger was selected by the Steelers with the 11th pick in that draft. That group compares favorably with the famed 1983 draft class that included Dan Marino, Jim Kelly and John Elway.
“It’s pretty cool, especially when we get compared to the 1983 class, Marino, Kelly, Elway, those guys,” said Roethlisberger. “It’s pretty neat. All three of us still playing. They have had a lot of success. It’s cool to be a part of it.”
Roethlisberger is 3-2 in his previous matchups with Rivers, throwing for 1,372 yards and posting a passer rating of 94.3. Rivers has thrown for 1,192 yards in those meetings with a passer rating of 90.5. Roethlisberger also has a couple of Super Bowl wins under his belt in three overall trips. Manning also has won two, while Rivers has yet to reach that pinnacle.
They're not the best of friends off the field, but they do keep track of each other's careers for obvious reasons. But it's not necessarily a rivalry -- at least not at this stage, 15 years into their respective careers.
“I don't see it that way," Rivers said of any rivalry between he and Roethlisberger and Manning. "I think you compete amongst quarterbacks. There's probably some that tell you they don't. I think they're probably lying to you.
“You know you're going to be linked to guys. I'm excited that I'm a part of that group. Heck of a group to be a part of. Thinking back to '04, all of us still on the same team, the games, the yards, all those things, how many games we've played in, been available for our teams."
And none of the trio is quite done yet, though Manning, who turns 38 in January, is getting the closest to that stage of his career. Rivers turns 37 next month, while Roethlisberger reach that age in March. Those three are all in the top 10 all-time in a number of career passing statistics, including yards and touchdowns.
Given the current records of the Steelers and Chargers, there's a decent chance the quarterback class of 2004 will have an opportunity to at least add another Super Bowl trip to their collective resume.
That could help put the 2004 draft class ahead of their 1983 counterparts, considered the top quarterback class off all-time. That group of first-round picks -- Kelly, Marino, Elway, Tony Eason, Ken O'Brien and Todd Blackledge -- appeared in 11 Super Bowls. But it only won two, both by Elway in his final two seasons with Denver at 37 and 38 years of age.
The 11 Super Bowl trips likely can't be matched by Roethlisberger, Manning and Rivers at this point. But their four Super Bowl wins in five trips is pretty impressive.
"I'm excited to be a part of those two guys, what they've done," Rivers said. "I hope they feel the same way. I think it's something we can look back and be proud of, that draft class. But I don't check to see where we all stack up, all that stuff. I know we all three have sustained pretty long, good careers."
THE ESSENTIALS
• When: 8:22 p.m.
• Where: Heinz Field
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Satellite: SiriusXM channel 225, Internet 826
• Forecast: 41 degrees, partly cloudy
• Lots open: 4:20 p.m.
• Will call open: 6:20 p.m.
• Gates open: 6:20 p.m.
• Boxscore: NFL Game Center
• Odds: MyBookie.AG
THE INJURY REPORT
Steelers: RT Marcus Gilbert (knee, out), S Morgan Burnett (back, doubtful), CB Cameron Sutton (personal, questionable), LB Bud Dupree (pectoral, questionable)
Chargers: NT Brandon Mebane (not injury related, out), RB Melvin Gordon (knee, out), OT Joe Barksdale (not injury related, out), WR Tyrell Williams (quad, questionable)
THE KEY VARIABLE
There have been a lot of brother combinations in the NFL. But there hasn't been another situation like the one that will take place in this game -- at least in recent years -- where two sets of brothers will be on opposite sidelines.
Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and Chargers center Mike Pouncey are identical twins and have played each other in the past when Mike was a member of the Miami Dolphins.
Sunday, however, will be the first time Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt will have an opportunity to play against one of his two brothers playing in the NFL.
Watt missed the chance to play against his oldest brother, J.J., last Christmas in Houston because the elder Watt was on injured reserve. But middle brother, Derek Watt, is the starting fullback and a key special teams player for the Chargers.
Derek is one of just 17 fullbacks on active rosters this season.
“I don’t see many people in the world doing that," Watt said. "He’s playing at the highest level he’s the starting fullback for an NFL team and I think that’s pretty damn cool. And it puts him in an elite category as an athlete and I don’t think that’s anything that should be undermined.”
Both the Watt and Pouncey families will be at Heinz Field for Sunday's game.
Who will the families be rooting for?
“Everyone’s staying at my house,’’ Maurkice said. “So they can go for the Steelers or stay in his hotel room.”
Mike Pouncey signed with the Chargers this season after seven years with the Dolphins, who released him in the offseason. He's recovered from a hip injury that helped derail a career that has seen him make three Pro Bowls and helped solidify the interior of the Chargers' line.
What would happen if Maurkice and Mike switched places, something they could easily do since the only way most people can tell them apart is by some different tattoos?
"I’d take that team to the next level, baby. They’d definitely notice," said Maurkice, who says Mike is the only person he talks to on a phone on a daily basis.
T.J. Watt is putting up a number of friends this weekend, so his family will stay at a hotel.
"They don’t technically have to root for the Steelers, but I hope they do," T.J. Watt said.
Perhaps the Watt family could just wear J.J.'s Houston Texans jersey.
HISTORY LESSON
Nov. 16, 2008 is a game that will go down in NFL history not for the beauty of the contest that was played that day at Heinz Field, but for what happened that day in a game between the Chargers and Steelers.
The game ended with an 11-10 score, the first time that happened in NFL history. It also ended in controversy, at least if you had placed a bet on the game.
The Steelers entered the game at 6-3, while the Chargers, who had never before won a game in Pittsburgh, were 4-5.
And it looked like the Chargers would finally get that first victory in Pittsburgh on that day.
The Chargers led 7-5 at the half after a LaDainian Tomlinson touchdown run in the first quarter was answered by a safety recorded by James Harrison and a Jeff Reed field goal in the second quarter.
Reed added another field goal midway through the third quarter to give the Steelers an 8-7 lead, and the score would remain there until 6:41 remained when the Steelers came up with a stop at their own 4 when Rivers threw incomplete on back-to-back plays to Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates to force a 22-yard Nate Kaeding field goal.
Trailing 10-8, the Steelers took over at their own 13 following a holding penalty on Limas Sweed on the kickoff.
But Roethlisberger completed six passes -- four to Hines Ward -- and Willie Parker ran six times for 31 yards to put the Steelers at the San Diego 4 with 21 seconds remaining.
Parker ran for a 4-yard touchdown, but Sean McHugh was called for holding and the Steelers instead settled for a go-ahead 32-yard field goal from Reed with 11 seconds remaining.
That's when things went a little crazy.
With Steelers favored by 4 1/2 points, gamblers were already upset Parker's apparent touchdown had been negated. What happened next truly infuriated them.
Rivers threw a short pass to Tomlinson who then tried to lateral it to receiver Chris Chambers. Troy Polamalu tipped the ball, recovered it and ran it into the end zone for an apparent touchdown that would have put the Steelers ahead 17-10.
But game referees kept both teams on the field for several minutes to launch an automatic review of the play, eventually calling a penalty that negated Polamalu's score. Referee Scott Green would later admit the penalty -- an illegal forward pass call against Tomlinson -- was incorrect.
In the end, the league had its first 11-10 game, while -- according to some accounts in Las Vegas -- as much as $100 million was wagered on the game, with 64 percent of those bets having been placed on the Steelers. That play amounted to a $32-million swing.
But it should never have been that close. The Steelers outgained the Chargers 410-218 and held the ball for more than 36 minutes. The only thing that helped keep the game from being a blowout were penalties. The Steelers had 13 for 115 yards, while the Chargers had two for five yards, adding more fuel to the calls of the game being fixed by the officiating crew.
THE MAIN MATCHUP
Randy Fichtner has taken a lot of flack for not using running back James Conner much in recent weeks.
The AFC's leading rusher has gotten just 35 carries for 143 yards in the past three games. He does have a rushing and receiving touchdown, but he also had a key fumble in last week's loss at Denver.
"You get into games and you’re always pushing for balance," Fichtner said. "It seemed as if we were capable of handling it in protection and we were capable of getting open and kept establishing first downs. I don’t know what our time of possession was, but I felt like it wasn’t three-and-outs a lot. It was finding ways to move the ball. The biggest thing for us is going to be putting points on the board and that’s the thing we didn’t do."
The fumble against the Broncos was Conner's fourth this season. But it's not been the reason the Steelers haven't used him as often of late.
"There is no concern and we have all the confidence in him," Roethlisberger said. "We are going to ride with James because he's our guy."
Sunday against the Chargers could be a good time to get back on the Conner train. While the Chargers rank 13th in the league in rushing defense, allowing 107.5 yards per game, they will be playing without starting nose tackle Brandon Mebane, who will miss his second consecutive game because of a personal issue, while starting inside linebacker Denzel Perryman was placed on injured reserve three weeks ago.
"We always want to establish the running game," David DeCastro said.
Getting Conner re-established would make things much easier on Roethlisberger, who has thrown five interceptions in the past two games as the Steelers split those two contests.
It also would allow the Steelers' offensive line, one of the best in the league, to help slow down the Chargers' outstanding defensive ends, Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram III.
A foot injury has limited Bosa to two games. But he had two sacks last week in a win over Arizona and has 25 in 28 career starts. Ingram, meanwhile, had 10.5 sacks last season and has recorded 5.5 this year despite playing without his partner most of the season.
"They're good," Matt Feiler, who will make his sixth start of the season at right tackle in place of injured Marcus Gilbert. "But we're used to it. We face top pass rushers every week."
The Steelers likely don't want to have Roethlisberger dropping back to pass 50-plus times like they have done in each of the past two games. He's only been sacked 16 times this season, but running the ball also would keep the Chargers' offense on the sideline.
“I think the offensive line has done an outstanding job of protecting him and giving him time to throw the ball," Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn said. "I think they have done a heck of a job. I think they are one of the best we have seen all year. They are big. They are powerful. They are not running the ball as much as they used to, but when they do run it, they are physical. They are doing a good job of being efficient. They are doing a heck of a job protecting Ben in the passing game.”
THE QUOTES
• "I don't know if he's bigger, he might be as big. He may have a few pounds on me. I don't know if it's good pounds." -- Bosa on Roethlisberger. Bosa is 6-foot-5, 280 pounds. Roethlisberger is listed at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds.
• "He keeps up with what’s going on in the league, too. The trends that are happening in the league in terms of RPO’s and all that stuff, what everybody is doing, so he’s got some motions and shifts and stuff like that that make it difficult. They do a good job of executing it." -- Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler on former Steelers and current Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt.
• "I've got big shoulders. I can take it. Constructive criticism is only for you to get better. It's not personal." -- Antonio Brown on critical comments made about him by Roethlisberger earlier this week.
THE TEN DATA POINTS
• The Steelers are 20-3 in regular season games in December and beyond since 2013, the best record in the league.
• Roethlisberger's 462-yard passing game against the Broncos last week was the sixth game of his career with 450 or more yards in his career, extending his own NFL record. Dan Marino is second with four.
• JuJu Smith-Schuster needs 28 receiving yards to become the youngest player in league history to record 2,000 in his career. Smith-Schuster just turned 22 on November 22.
• The Steelers average 4.2 offensive touchdowns per game at home compared to 2.8 on the road this season.
• The Chargers have allowed 18.5 points per game on the road this season, the fewest in the league. But their road opponents this season have a combined 26-27-1 record, with 10 of those wins owned by the Rams, to whom the Chargers allowed 35 points.
• The Chargers lead the NFL with 19 more 20-yard plays than they have allowed this season.
• The Chargers are 13th in rushing yardage allowed per game to opposing backfields at 85.1 yards per game, but are 21st in total yards allowed per game at 146.9 yards. Los Angeles has allowed 680 receiving yards on 68 catches to running backs. Only the Chiefs and Falcons have allowed more receiving yards to opposing running backs.
• Roethlisberger is the fourth quarterback in league history to throw for at least 250 yards and a touchdown in the first 11 games of a season, joining Drew Brees (16 games in 2011), Tom Brady (12 games in 2015) and Neil Lomax (11 games in 1984).
• Rivers has attempted more than 29 passes in a game just once since Week 4. But he has had multiple touchdown passes in all 11 games this season.
• The Steelers rank second in the NFL in red zone touchdown percentage at 75.8 percent (25-33), while the Chargers are 15th at 60.5 percent (23-38).
THE FANTASY FREE PLAY
Here are projections for the top 10 fantasy players in this game.
- Roethlisberger, 313 yards, three touchdowns, one interception
- Rivers, 281 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions
- Conner, 18 carries, 82 yards, one touchdown, four receptions, 40 yards
- Brown, seven receptions, 101 yards, one touchdown
- Austin Ekeler, 13 carries, 49 yards, five receptions, 45 yards
- Smith-Schuster, seven receptions, 90 yards, one touchdown
- Keenan Allen, seven catches, 85 yards, one touchdown
- Mike Williams, three receptions, 48 yards, one touchdown
- Ryan Switzer, four receptions, 38 yards
- Justin Jackson, 11 carries, 36 yards, one reception, 11 yards
THE STAFF PICKS
Our football coverage team offers predictions:
Dale Lolley: The argument has been put forth that the Steelers didn't beat anyone of note during their six-game winning streak that was broken last week at Denver. But their wins over Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Baltimore, Carolina and Jacksonville look equal to or more impressive than the Chargers' six-game winning streak that was broken by the Broncos two weeks ago. That came against the 49ers, Raiders (twice), Browns, Titans and Seahawks. Melvin Gordon is not only the Chargers' leading rusher, he's their second-leading receiver behind Allen. Without him, the Chargers are going to have to hit some big plays, something the Steelers haven't allowed a lot of this season. Oh, and there's this, the Steelers are 22-4 in primetime home games when Roethlisberger starts. They're also 8-0 at Heinz Field in primetime games in December and 20-3 in the final month of the season since 2013, the best record in the league. Steelers, 31-27
Christopher Carter: The Chargers missing Gordon won't help a team looking for its first signature win of the season. The Steelers lead the NFL with 37 sacks and are not a team that can be beat by a one-dimensional scheme. The Chargers present a legitimate passing threat with Rivers, especially after completing 25 consecutive passes and only throwing one incompletion last week. But the Steelers aren’t the Chargers, namely because their defense ranks in the top 10 in most major statistics. If the Chargers are forced into third and long situations consistently throughout the game, look for Watt and company to build on their sack total significantly. Offensively, the Steelers have to watch out for Casey Hayward and Derwin James in the Chargers’ secondary. Hayward should travel with Brown, while James will float around the box and match up well with McDonald. I see this leading to more big plays for Smith-Schuster and Roethlisberger having another big night in primetime NFL action. Steelers, 30-24.
Matt Sunday: This game becomes much more meaningful following the loss in Denver and with a cross-country trip ahead, the game against the Patriots and an early Christmas weekend in New Orleans. The loss of Gordon is going to be a big deal in this one. With Burnett out once again and the Steelers coming off a pair of more porous rush defense performances, he might just have been the difference. The Chargers might be the lesser of the Los Angeles teams since losing to the Rams, one of the league's best, but their other losses are to the Chiefs and the Broncos -- both of whom defeated the Steelers, as well. I'd have liked the Chargers in this one if their stud running back was available, but the Steelers have too many weapons for what the matchup presents without him. Steelers, 27-20
Dejan Kovacevic: Independent of the legit challenge the Chargers present, independent of how much they'll miss Gordon and all other opponent factors, I'm having a hard time picturing Roethlisberger not shining at home, in primetime and with a richly motivated AB getting a ton of targets. That's not to suggest there won't be hiccups, particularly for the defense since Rivers moves the ball so quickly he's been sacked only 19 times. But these Steelers are driven by their offense, and they'll have plenty of that. Steelers, 34-18