Roethlisberger says offense must step up in second half of the season

There’s no question Ben Roethlisberger has put together better statistical seasons in his 14-year career than the one he’s battling through now.

He’s averaging 7.5 yardsper-attempt — tied for the fourth-lowest number of his career — and his passer rating of 82.7 is almost 11 points below his career average. But Roethlisberger insists the strides he has made in his mental game have compensated for his subpar stats.

“I really genuinely don’t know how good my stats are or stack up against other

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years, but I feel like I’ve been as involved and have had as good of a season between the ears as I have, maybe ever,” Roethlisberger said.

To his credit, the Steelers sit atop the AFC totem pole with a 6-2 record. But while he might be doing a better job of reading defenses and making pre-snap adjustments, it still hasn’t translated into a 30-point game by the offense.

“That’s always been Todd’s goal,” Roethlisberger said of offensive coordinator Todd Haley. “His first goal that he sets at the beginning of every season is 30 points [per game]. That’s our goal offensively, and we haven’t been able to do that yet.”

Roethlisberger acknowledged that the defense has carried the load through the first half of the season, and it’s up to the star-laden offense to pick up the slack the rest of the way.

“We love the way they’re playing. It’s a lot of fun to watch, but we need to do our part now,” Roethlisberger said.

Trap game?

Both of the Steelers’ losses this year came in games they were favored to win: a 23-17 overtime loss at Chicago, and a 30-9 drubbing at home against Jacksonville .

Defensive end Stephon Tuitt, who expects to return from a back injury this week after missing the past two games, played down the idea that this week’s matchup at Indianapolis is another of those “trap games.”

“I don’t believe in trap games,” Tuitt said. “Trap games, that’s because you went out there not paying attention to details and technique during the week. ... They’re an NFL team. They’re coming out there to try to win.”

Offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert admitted earlier this week that “not paying up to the level in games we’re supposed to win” has been an issue for the Steelers.

“Trap team or not, we feel like every time we step on the field we’ve got to dominate the line of scrimmage,” Gilbert said. “If we do that, any other variables will fall right into place.”

Injury report

Tuitt, Gilbert and tight end Vance McDonald were all removed from the injury report after missing last week’s game against Detroit. Safety Mike Mitchell, who left the game against the Lions with an Achilles injury, was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice. Linebacker James Harrison did not participate because of a back injury.

Robert Golden took the majority of first-team snaps at practice in Mitchell’s place. Mitchell isn’t sure whether he’ll be ready to return Sunday, but he’s confident Golden can get the job done.

“I’m just working back,” Mitchell said. “The good thing is I’m more than confident in Rob Golden. He’s a great player, so I feel more than happy letting him go out there and play.”

Meanwhile, Indysportscentral. reported that Colts Pro Bowl cornerback Vontae Davis will not play Sunday as he works his way back from a groin injury.