On Sunday, the Saints and Steelers will meet in New Orleans in a clash between two Super Bowl contenders that are both quarterbacked by two of the best quarterbacks of this generation, both of whom will almost assuredly be inducted into the Hall of Fame after they retire in the near future. Drew Brees' and Ben Roethlisberger's Hall of Fame credentials are universally accepted around the NFL community, but on Thursday, one detractor emerged. 

Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, a teammate of Brees' since 2011, unsurprisingly believes Brees is a top five quarterback of this generation. He does not, however, believe Big Ben belongs in that same group. 

On Thursday, Jordan questioned Roethlisberger's Hall of Fame credentials and even went so far as to say that Eli Manning should be ranked above him. When a reporter suggested that Big Ben will eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Jordan interrupted the reporter to ask, "Is that true?" 

"Really? In this era?" he asked. "You'd put him at like a top three in this era? Top five of this era? Top five of this era? You'd put him at top five of this era? Is that a yes or no?"

When the reporter said yes, Jordan asked the reporter to name his top five. Jordan proceeded to offer up Brees, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers as the three best quarterbacks of this generation. The reporter pointed out that Roethlisberger has more Super Bowls than Rodgers, but Jordan countered by saying Rodgers has the career numbers. Jordan named Peyton Manning as his fourth quarterback, all of whom should probably be ranked above Big Ben. 

It's the next part of his list that gets controversial. 

"He's better than Philip Rivers right now? Career-wise?" Jordan asked. 

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Jordan didn't seem to agree that Roethlisberger should be ranked ahead of Rivers -- an argument that can probably be debated both ways. Based on their career numbers, it's a toss up. But Roethlisberger's Super Bowls would probably vault him above Rivers in most minds. Jordan then asked if the reporter would put Roethlisberger at No. 5. The reporter said he would. What Jordan said next is where his argument lost some traction.

"I'd honestly put Eli before I put Ben," Jordan said. "But OK."

You can watch the entire exchange below, which really is incredible. Jordan is really that incredulous to the idea that Big Ben is a top five quarterback.

Before we get to the more spicy part of Jordan's argument (the Eli part), let's address Big Ben's Hall of Fame credentials. He ranks sixth all time in passing yards, seventh all time in touchdown passes, 11th all time in passer rating, and tied for sixth all time in fourth quarter comebacks. He's posted an amazing 143-68-1 record as a starting quarterback in the regular season and has gone 13-8 in the playoffs. He's also won two Super Bowls, one of which included an iconic game-winning touchdown. Roethlisberger is unquestionably a Hall of Famer. 

He's also undoubtedly better than Manning (Eli, not Peyton). Super Bowls shouldn't be the only way we judge quarterbacks, so it's a good thing then that the two quarterbacks have both won two Super Bowls. We can remove that aspect of the argument from the equation. Really, the only area Manning has Roethlisberger beat in is durability. Both entered the league in 2004. In that time, Manning has played in 230 games. Big Ben has played in 214 games. If you look at their career statistics, Roethlisberger has a higher completion percentage, yards per attempt average, touchdown percentage, and passer rating, in addition to a lower interception percentage. Based on the numbers, it's Roethlisberger who is significantly better than Manning.

And it remains true today. While Big Ben hasn't been at his peak this season, he's been substantially better than Manning. Manning might've been more durable than Roethlisberger during their careers, but it's Roethlisberger who is aging better. 

At the end of the video, the reporter called Manning "washed." Jordan replied, "I hear you," sealing one of the better interviews of the 2018 season.