In the last 16 months, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has gained a wife, a diploma, a son and a new offensive coordinator.

Three of the recent additions have been full of smiles, but the fourth has had its share of trials.

The swelling tension between Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Todd Haley burst into criticism Sunday following an overtime loss at Dallas that left the Steelers on the outside of the AFC playoff picture.

Roethlisberger later apologized for his comments about Haley’s play calling and decision making in the loss to the Cowboys, but it’s clear the issues are mounting after losing two in a row and four of the last five.

“I let my frustrations jump out after a game,” Roethlisberger told Pittsburgh reporters earlier this week. “I don’t usually do that. Usually, I keep it under control. I was just frustrated with myself, and I’ll be better at that.”

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said too much has been made of the relationship between Roethlisberger and Haley.

“From my perspective, it’s been overblown,” Tomlin said. “But such is life in the NFL. It’s about winning. We haven’t done enough of that lately, so we understand the questions that usually come with that.”

Tomlin said he has seen a change in Roethlisberger off the field since his July 2011 wedding and the November birth of his son, but he’s the same quarterback on the field. And he has the stats to prove it.

Despite the periodic disagreements with Haley, Roethlisberger is having one of his better seasons. The Miami University product, who returned to Oxford in May to get his diploma, has a completion percentage of 64.1, which is his highest since 2009. He needs just 89 yards to top the 3,000 mark for the eighth consecutive year. And his touchdown-to-interception ratio (22 TDs, six INTs) is the best of his career.

“He’s done a good job of taking care of the ball,” Tomlin said. “He’s also done a nice job of getting rid of the football. I think his sack numbers are generally down. Those are some of the things that we were interested in getting done as we have gone into the season for the sole purposes of increasing our chances of winning.”

After starting the season 6-3, the Steelers lost two of the three games Roethlisberger missed with a shoulder injury. And they have dropped two in a row since he returned despite his throwing for 624 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions.

The recent skid has Pittsburgh sitting one game behind Cincinnati for the final AFC wildcard spot, but Roethlisberger is 14-4 in his 18 starts against the Bengals, including a come-from-behind 24-17 triumph earlier this season at Paul Brown Stadium.

Because of that win in October, Pittsburgh still controls its own destiny with a chance to leapfrog the Bengals via the head-to-head tiebreaker with a win Sunday.

“The AFC North games are always fun,” Roethlisberger said. “This game means so much for both teams. They’ve got some confidence. They are great against the run, and it starts up front with them. Their defensive line gets after it and they’re doing some impressive things.”

The Bengals know they have to be strong in all facets of the game to get a win that would clinch a playoff berth and eliminate the Steelers. But at the same time they know from past experiences that they have to be especially sound against Roethlisberger and his ability to improvise in the pocket.

“With Ben, it’s almost like it energizes him,” Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. “He’s made so many plays where he’s looking over his shoulder and seeing the guy running behind him. He’s used to doing it, and he’s got great experience doing it.

“He’ll pump-fake the guys rushing against him and they stop their feet, or he’ll try to freeze the downfield coverage,” Lewis added. “If you’re a deep and vertical player, you have to stay deep and vertical. If you’re an underneath player and you need to plaster a guy, then you plaster a guy. We have to understand the lanes and the commitment to playing together – 11 guys on defense together.”