Eagles-Steelers: If Carson Wentz is new model, Ben Roethlisberger is the classic muscle

Philadelphia Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz has been the talk of the league this past week for several reasons.

He came from a small school, got thrust into an NFL starting role very early on and now he has his team off to a surprising 2-0 start.

Ben Roethlisberger’s reaction to the early emergence of Wentz: Been there, done that.

Roethlisberger was a rookie in 2004 when he started his professional career with a record 13 straight wins. Since then, he has won two Super Bowl titles for the Pittsburgh Steelers and is now one of the top signal-callers in the league.

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So let’s do a quick comparison: Roethlisberger has two Super Bowl rings on his fingers. Wentz has just two weeks as an NFL quarterback under his belt.

Statistically speaking, the two quarterbacks should not be mentioned in the same sentence but they face off on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and the comparisons between them are almost too much to ignore.

After starring at unheralded Miami University (Ohio), the Steelers saw something in Roethlisberger and selected him 11th overall in the draft.

So it was Roethlisberger, who, when Wentz was chosen second overall last year by Philadelphia, dismissed the idea that the North Dakota State product would struggle in the NFL despite playing against inferior competition in college.

“You know, people do make a big deal about the small school, and his school is even smaller than Miami was,” Roethlisberger told CBS Sports.

“Yeah, maybe the competition level wasn’t that great, but it’s not like [Wentz] just went out and had a winning season. He won national championships for that school ... and that’s pretty impressive.”

In college, Wentz won five NCAA Division I Football Championships. He is big and physical at 6ft 5in (1.96m), 245 pounds (11.13kg), and just like the similarly-built Roethlisberger, he does not shy away from a big hit and likes to extend plays with his legs.

Roethlisberger became a rookie starter after Tommy Maddox’s arm was injured in the second game of 2004. He has been under centre for Pittsburgh ever since. Wentz became Philadelphia’s starter after they traded incumbent Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings before the season.

They share the same agent, Ryan Tollner, and it has been reported they even shared workouts and meals together during the pre-season in California.

“Watching Big Ben has always been fun,” said Wentz, who has thrown for 468 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions in his first two games.

“I always found it intriguing the way that guy plays the game differently than a lot of guys, and he’s fun to watch. That guy can make some really big plays.”

Some in the Eagles’ front office saw some of those same qualities as well. Count coach Doug Pederson among those in the organisation that are reminded of Roethlisberger when they see Wentz in action.

“Little bit,” Pederson told NBC Sports. “Ben is big, strong, physical in the pocket, hard to bring down and continues to have great vision down the field.

“I think that’s one thing with Carson’s strength is he continues to have that vision down the field when things begin to break down.”

Could Wentz be the second coming of Roethlisberger? Sunday’s game will not bring enough answers.

Considering Wentz will face a stiff defence in Pittsburgh, which will give him plenty more fits than the Chicago Bears or Cleveland Browns did, it could be a tough day for the rookie.

Meanwhile, Roethlisberger is enjoying another strong start to the season and still has one of the league’s best targets in Antonio Brown.

There may be a mirror between the two players before the game, but there is no question which quarterback rules the Keystone state.

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Thursday’s result

New England Patriots 27, Houston Texans 0

New England dominated in all three phases of the game as the Patriots turned two Texans’ fumbles on kickoffs into 14 points. The first set up rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett’s 27-yard touchdown run. LeGarrette Blount added two rushing touchdowns for New England and Houston was blanked for the third time in franchise history.

Sunday’s fixtures in UAE time

Arizona Cardinals at Buffalo Bills, 9pm

Oakland Raiders at Tennessee Titans, 9pm

Washington Redskins at NY Giants, 9pm

Cleveland Browns at Miami Dolphins, 9pm

Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars, 9pm

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers, 9pm

Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals, 9pm

Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers, 9pm

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks, midnight

Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, midnight

San Diego Chargers at Indianapolis Colts, midnight