PITTSBURGH — Le’Veon Bell, by his own admission, was feeling it. And why not? The Pittsburgh Steelers running back was in the final minutes of a historically productive on Sunday in Buffalo when he darted to the sideline and saw Bills cornerback Ronald Darby in his way.

Did the NFL’s most patient and arguably its most productive runner lower his shoulder to send all of his 230ish pounds into the 190ish pound Darby? Did he plant his surgically repaired right knee and spin away as he’d done earlier? Um, no .

“I just wanted that highlight I guess,” Bell said with a smile.

Bell flew instead, vaulting when Darby appeared ready to dive at Bell’s legs. Only Darby stood up halfway through Bell’s jump and the most vital part of Pittsburgh’s resurgent offense landed with a decidedly ungraceful thud after picking up 14 of his franchise record 236 yards rushing in a 27-20 victory .

It wasn’t, Bell admits, the best idea he’s ever had. And while coach Mike Tomlin didn’t feel the need to pull Bell aside and ask Bell to keep himself earth-bound going forward, Tomlin didn’t have to. Lisa Bell took care of it for him, reminding her son there’s nothing wrong with a little discretion.

“She’s telling me to stop jumping,” Bell said with a laugh. “She’ll say that every single time. She’ll tell me to stop jumping, it’s dangerous. I give her a heart attack.”

His mother isn’t the only one Bell is giving anxiety. Opponents are rapidly running out of ways to keep Bell in check for the surging Steelers (8-5), who travel to Cincinnati (5-7-1) on Sunday riding a four-game winning streak that happens to coincide with Pittsburgh ditching the pass-heavy approach of September and putting their season in their relentless running back’s capable hands.

Bell is averaging 205 yards from scrimmage over the last month, thrusting himself into the fringe of the MVP conversation in the process. Heady territory considering Bell missed the first three games while serving a suspension for a second violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.

“You can’t treat him like you treat a regular running back,” Cincinnati cornerback Adam Jones said Wednesday.

Probably because Bell isn’t one. He has the size to shoulder a heavy workload, the hands of a wide receiver and a preternatural patience that seems almost counterintuitive for a position predicated on sprinting as fast as you can as far as you can until something gets in your way.