PITTSBURGH — Languishing at 3-3 just two weeks ago after absorbing a 31-10 licking in Cleveland, the Pittsburgh Steelers suddenly find themselves in position to make this a dynamic season after whipping the Indianapolis Colts 51-34 on Sunday.

The Steelers have a showdown to start the second half of the season Sunday night at Heinz Field against their bitter rivals, the Baltimore Ravens. Both teams are 5-3 and are percentage points behind the 4-2-1 Cincinnati Bengals.

It wasn’t just the win or their record after Sunday’s victory, but how they did it. Everyone has been waiting for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his offense to break out and carry a team that does not play great defense, and that is what happened Sunday.

Roethlisberger threw for six touchdowns and 522 yards, both team records. He was 33 yards from setting the NFL record that was established 63 years ago by Norm Van Brocklin at 554. He was six yards from having the second-most.

The big question in Pittsburgh now is, can they keep it up? Maybe not score 51 points a game, but for the offense to be more consistently productive?

“We showed flashes of being really good,” Roethlisberger said. “But I missed some throws and we turned the ball over, so we still left stuff out there. But I’m sure any offense in the NFL will take this if they could be like this offense.”

Unlike last season, when they felt they had a playoff spot stolen from them when Kansas City missed a chip-shot field goal in San Diego in the final game, the Steelers are in position to win the AFC North without any help.

After Baltimore, they have on their schedule first-place Cincinnati twice and non-division opponents who are not quite murderers’ row: the New York Jets (1-7), Tennessee Titans (2-6), Atlanta Falcons (2-6), New Orleans Saints (3-4) and Kansas City Chiefs (4-3), the first three on the road and the other two at home.

MEDICAL WATCH: OT Marcus Gilbert was inactive after sustaining a concussion the previous week. Mike Adams replaced him as the starting right tackle. … LB Ryan Shazier started and played the whole game except for a handful of plays. He had not played since leaving the third game of the season with a sprained MCL.

REPORT CARD VS. COLTS

PASSING OFFENSE: A – Ben Roethlisberger threw for a team-record six touchdowns and 522 yards, which are fourth most in NFL history. He was not intercepted, he was not sacked and he completed 40 of 49 passes. He pretty much did what he wanted. Three of his passes were clear drops or he might have set the NFL record. He also distributed the ball to nine different receivers.

RUSHING OFFENSE: C – On a day in which they really did not need to run, the Steelers did manage 117 yards on 32 carries for a 3.7-yard average with again no rushing touchdowns. Le’Veon Bell led the way with 92 yards on 24 carries. Bell also was an important part of the passing game with six catches for 56 yards. Le’Garrette Blount did lose a fumble at the Colts’ 5-yard line but that led to a safety two plays later.

PASS DEFENSE: C-plus – You can expect to give up a lot of yards to the NFL’s No. 1 passing offense and the Steelers did that. Andrew Luck completed 26 of 45 passes for 400 yards. However, cornerback Willie Gay picked one of those passes off and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown. Cornerback Antwon Blake intercepted another in the end zone. And they sacked Luck three times and kept good pressure on him throughout.

RUSH DEFENSE: C-plus – Ahmad Bradshaw ran for a 12-yard touchdown, but the Colts seemed disinterested in running much. They averaged 6.3 yards per carry but had only 10 runs and three of those were Andrew Luck scrambles for 26 yards. Bradshaw finished with 35.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B — There were no returns to speak of either way. Adam Vinatieri made both of his two chip-shot field goals. The Steelers’ Shaun Suisham kicked a field goal but the Colts were offsides. Given a first down and new life, the Steelers scored a touchdown.

COACHING: A – Mike Tomlin got into his offense’s ears all week, reminding them how great Andrew Luck and the Colts offense was. The Steelers ran the no-huddle for only two plays, which means coordinator Todd Haley called the plays and if Ben Roethlisberger had a perfect day, Haley did too. On defense, Tomlin/Dick LeBeau pulled beleaguered cornerback Cortez Allen in the second half and inserted Antwon Blake in their nickel defense and he intercepted a pass in the end zone.