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PITTSBURGH — More than anyone, it is Big Ben Roethlisberger who stands between the Jets and the kind of victory that can launch a season and establish them as a mean green contending machine.
Big Ben, the big guy with two Super Bowl rings.
Big Ben, the big guy who Eli Manninged the Cardinals when Santonio Holmes made that wondrous catch at the end of Super Bowl XLIII.
Big Ben, the big guy who can shrug off defenders as if they were flies and keep a play alive with the best of them.
Big Ben, the big guy who is dangerous in the no-huddle offense.
Big Ben, the big guy who clocked the Jets’ Super Bowl dreams in the 2010 AFC Championship.
It is time to clock Big Ben.
He has an unproven young running back (Jonathan Dwyer) behind him now, a suspect offensive line in front of him and a new offensive coordinator (Todd Haley) in his ear.
The time to unwind Big Ben is now.
In no small part because the Steel Curtain is aging (James Harrison) and torn (Troy Polamalu), there is an even bigger burden these days on Big Ben …
Who no longer has the retired Hines Ward to make the clutch catch or blow up unsuspecting defenders who fail to have their head on a swivel …
Who is waiting for RB Rashard Mendenhall’s knee to heal …
Who nevertheless will be licking his chops knowing that the best cornerback in the NFL will be back home alone on Revis Island, leaving Kyle Wilson with the unenviable task of blanketing Antonio Brown or Mike Wallace.
“He’s probably the greatest quarterback at extending plays,” safety Yeremiah Bell said. “So many times you see guys draped over him. … You think he’s down and then all of a sudden he comes out of the pack looking downfield and makes big plays to receivers.”
Gang Green aspire to be the best defense in the league. Coach Rex Ryan’s boys knocked down Ryan Fitzpatrick 11 times. This isn’t Ryan Fitzpatrick.
“I would call him a make-it-happen type player,” Sione Pouha said.
Pouha is one of a dozen current Jets defenders who got an up-close and personal view of Big Ben making it happen with his arm and with his legs at Heinz Field
60 minutes from the Super Bowl.
“He’s a load to bring down, [and] he’ll still make plays, even if he’s getting taken down,” Pouha said.
So what advice would Pouha give to rookie Quinton Coples and others who haven’t played against Big Ben?
“Until the whistle’s blown that the ball’s down, you just gotta keep working,” Pouha said.
Ryan’s task is complicated not having an elite pass rusher like the Broncos’ Von Miller, who put Big Ben and the Steelers away for Peyton Manning.
“We just have to bring him to the ground. He’s more dangerous when he’s outside the pocket scrambling,” defensive end Mike Devito said. “He’s just a great player, one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and somebody that we definitely have to make sure we shut down.”
The better for Bell and LaRon Landry and Eric Smith to shut down tight end Heath Miller.
“[He’s] kind of a throwback tight end,” Bell said. “He’s a red-zone threat, so down there we’ll have our radar up a little more.”
Muhammad Wilkerson, meet Big Ben.
“You think he’s down, but he’s getting the ball off … make a five-yard pass or something like that to a tight end or running back, that turns into about a 30-yard gain, so he’s definitely a difficult player to play against,” Wilkerson said.
The Jets cannot let Big Ben jump on them the way he did when he broke their Super Bowl-bound hearts with a nine-minute touchdown drive on the opening series.
“We know we can win,” Bell said. “We know that’s a tough place to play. They play behind their crowd down there. We just can’t give ’em anything early and kinda let them get started fast and let that crowd get on top.”
The Jets could be staring at 3-0 with the Dolphins next. Hard Knocks on Big Ben first. Ben-but-don’t break.
steve.serby@nyppost.com