PITTSBURGH — It’s not the first time Ben Roethlisberger has openly — if knowingly — questioned his own skillset.

At the end of the 2016 season, the longtime Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback hinted at retiremen t and let the question linger for months. Following an ugly loss to Jacksonville in October 2017, he semi-sarcastically suggested he didn’t have it anymore.

Each time, Roethlisberger regrouped. It’s what he’s done relentlessly during his 17-year career, perhaps never more so than last fall following surgery on his right elbow. He finds himself at another pivotal moment after the Steelers were pushed around by Buffalo 26-15 on Sunday night, sapping whatever momentum remained from Pittsburgh’s 11-0 start in the process following their second loss in a week.

“If I don’t play good enough football, then I need to hang it up,” Roethlisberger said. “I still feel like I can do enough things to help this team win football games. I’m going to do everything I can to get us back on track.”

As tends to happen when Roethlisberger is involved, it was the first line of his comments that grabbed the most attention in the immediate aftermath. Yet rather than said in anger or resentment — both of which applied during earlier times — it was more matter of fact.

Roethlisberger did not spend months rehabbing if he felt he couldn’t be an impact player. And throughout Pittsburgh’s 11-game run at perfection, he looked like an MVP candidate as he expertly picked apart opponents by executing the short-passing game designed to minimize the number of hits his 38-year-old body absorbed.

Though he was far from sharp against the Bills while completing 21 of 37 passes for 187 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions — one of them a tide-turning pick-6 late in the first half in which he threw slightly behind JuJu Smith-Schuster — Roethlisberger’s biggest problem wasn’t his play so much as the play of the guys around him in the huddle.

The offensive line again struggled to open any holes despite the return of perennial Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey and running back James Conner off the reserve/COVID-19 list. Pittsburgh ran for 47 yards — the fifth time in seven games the Steelers have finished with under 50 yards on the ground — and appears to be grasping for answers.

Jaylen Samuels, who had nine touches through 12 games, had seven touches against Buffalo. And while losing starting left guard Matt Feiler and replacement Kevin Dotson to injuries didn’t help, the reality is the unit — regardless of the personnel — has been routinely getting dominated when asked to provide any kind of push for weeks.

The inability to run the ball has allowed opposing defenses to become more aggressive in disrupting the passing game. Having a receiving group that can’t seem to hold on to the ball isn’t helping matters. Diontae Johnson found himself on the bench after two early drops and Roethlisberger’s longest pass completion was a 20-yard strike to Smith-Schuster that was mostly Smith-Schuster creating a little magic after the catch.