Since he became the Steelers' starting quarterback three games into his rookie season in 2004, Ben Roethlisberger has been among the best in the NFL.
In fact, the two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback is on a Hall of Fame track as he continues to climb the NFL leaderboard in a number of key categories -- yards, touchdowns and completions among them.
Roethlisberger measures his success, however, in a far different fashion.
"Winning has always been my No. 1 priority," Roethlisberger said recently. "I said that since the first day. That’s always No. 1 for me. But as a younger guy you definitely worry about if my stats (are) helping us win or lose. Everyone in this business wants to put up good numbers, but I think as you get older you just appreciate how you can win football games without just putting up big numbers."
It's a good thing, because the big numbers haven't been there much of late.
In the past 17 games, including the postseason last year, Roethlisberger has thrown for 300 or more yards just three times. He's thrown 22 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions during that span.
But the Steelers' record in those 17 games is 14-3.
That's why the Steelers, who are 6-2 this season as they head into their bye week, aren't overly concerned with their star quarterback's recent struggles.
They knew it might be a process with the team having added so many new pass catchers this season. Martavis Bryant didn't play last season while under suspension. Receiver Justin Hunter was a free-agent acquisition. Tight end Vance McDonald came in a trade with the 49ers just a week before the start of the regular season. And JuJu Smith-Schuster is a rookie.
"He's one of the most accurate throwers in the league," said offensive coordinator Todd Haley of Roethlisberger. "He's working with some different guys. There's been a little movement with the receiver group, the tight end group. Some of those guys, he doesn't have a long history with. That makes you have to adjust and grow as fast as you can."
At 35, however, and with 14 years under his belt, it's quite obvious Roethlisberger isn't the same quarterback he was a few years ago. Numerous knee injuries coupled with age have robbed him of his ability to scramble. He was never a true running quarterback, but his ability to keep plays alive in the pocket with movement was legendary.
We haven't seen much of that of late, in part because Haley has designed an offense intent on getting the ball out of his hands quickly, in part because, well, he can't extend the play like he used to.
And that top-notch accuracy, especially on deep passes, hasn't been as good. Roethlisberger is completing 61 percent of his passes this season, the third-lowest percentage of his career and far lower than his career high of 68 percent set in 2015. His completion percentage is 24th among the league's qualifying passers.
Where he's really been off has been on his deep passes.
He connected on 31 of 81 passes that traveled 21 or more yards in the air last season for 1,116 yards, 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions. That adds up to a passer rating of 110.2.
This year, that number is 11 of 48 for 445 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions for a passer rating of 53.6. It's a big reason his passer rating this season is 82.7, far below his career rating of 93.6.
He's also completing just 42 percent of his passes inside the red zone. Things always get tighter inside the 20, but Roethlisberger's career red zone completion percentage is 53 percent.
"A pass that last year, we hit to (Antonio Brown) that's a 50, 60-yard touchdown, now it's slightly off and it's a 10-yard gain," Haley admitted. "It's just the whole group working together, Martavis included, and continuing to evolve and find our rhythm as an offense. It's a process and you have to respect that it's a process. You're not a finished product. Our guys understand that. We're in a good position."
They are in a good position.
The Steelers have played six of the league's top-10 defenses in the first half of the season. They have three remaining top-10 defenses remaining on their schedule: Cincinnati, Baltimore and Cleveland. The Steelers went 3-0 against their AFC North rivals in the first half, averaging 25 points per game.
And there's time for Roethlisberger to get on a roll as he has done in the past. In fact, throw out his forgettable career-worst five-interception game in a loss to Jacksonville, and his passer rating this season is a respectable 90.3.
But the fact remains the Steelers realize less of Roethlisberger is more. It's a big reason why they have leaned so heavily on running back Le'Veon Bell in the 17 games since Roethlisberger threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-30 loss to Dallas last season.
Since then, Roethlisberger has attempted 39 or more passes three times. The Steelers have lost all three of those games.
But that is not uncommon. In John Elway's final two seasons, for example, he attempted 40 or more passes three times. The Broncos, who won the Super Bowl in each of those years, lost all three of those games.
There also has been, at times, an over-reliance on Brown. He has caught a league-best 57 passes on 94 targets for 835 yards and three touchdowns. But Roethlisberger also has thrown six interceptions when targeting his star receiver, who often draws two and even three defenders.
“I know where A.B.’s going to be and sometimes that forces me to just zone into him, because we’ve created big plays and we make things happen," Roethlisberger told 93.7 The Fan recently. "And I just need to be better at taking what the defense gives us and making the right throw."
That's what Haley wants to see, as well. He wants his star quarterback to start spreading the ball around more. He wants to see Roethlisberger start to get on the same page with all of his receivers, something that might be coming around.
"Some of the inconsistencies that you might see from the outside, are not the things we see on a daily basis," Haley said. "They're not alarming in any way. I'm seeing the same quarterback I've seen throughout. There have been some variables and some bounces that maybe haven't gone our way. We've got to continue to work so that they'll go our way in the second half of the season.
"Specifically (from) Ben ... there has been, much like the whole group, a lot of good and some areas where we need to continue to grow and improve. He's been on point and working hard. He's giving us a chance to win games."