PITTSBURGH -- The cast of players around him keeps changing, even on a week-to-week basis due to injuries, suspensions and the passage of time. Ben Roethlisberger himself doesn't seem to change at all.

Roethlisberger threw four touchdown passes, giving him a Steelers' all-time best 15 through five games, and Pittsburgh shut out the New York Jets in the second half of a 31-13 victory Sunday.

Roethlisberger, nearly error-free until losing a fumble in the fourth quarter, threw scoring passes of 72 yards and 5 yards to Sammie Coates, 1 yard to Jesse James and 5 yards to Antonio Brown, who was forced by the NFL to change his shoes during the first half but still made nine catches.

Roethlisberger, in his 13th season, went 34 of 47 for 380 yards and no interceptions -- hitting 14 consecutive passes at one point during the second half -- as the Steelers (4-1) came back from an early 13-7 deficit to win their seventh in a row at Heinz Field. Roethlisberger has nine TD passes and no interceptions as the Steelers have piled up 74 points and 869 yards in his their two last games, including a 43-14 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

"Ben has been unbelievable as a leader ... making plays," left tackle Alejandro Villanueva said. "All credit to the offense should be given to him."

Roethlisberger now is 20-1 in October in Heinz Field.

"He's just a special player," running back Le'Veon Bell said. "I wouldn't want to play with any other (quarterback)."

Coates' deep-ball TD catch on the Steelers' opening drive was the first of his NFL career and helped him overcome three dropped passes later in the game, one at the goal line on the drive that ended with Jones' third TD catch of the season and a 14-13 Steelers halftime lead.

Coates (six catches, 139 yards) later finished off an extended Steelers drive late in the game -- after the Jets, down by 11 points with 7 1/2 minutes remaining, punted rather than going for it on fourth down -- with his 5-yarder.

"In the same situation (again), I'd probably punt," said Jets coach Todd Bowles, who was counting on a deep punt and his defense getting the ball back quickly.

Before that, the Jets (1-4) took that 13-7 lead on Ryan Fitzpatrick's 15-yard scoring pass to Pittsburgh native Brandon Marshall, who took advantage of his 4-inch height advantage over Steelers cornerback Ross Cockrell to make a leaping catch. But the Steelers responded with a drive that ended with the James touchdown.

"It was critical to get that," coach Mike Tomlin said.

The Steelers defense throttled the Jets after that, limiting them to 100 yards in the second half, even though Fitzpatrick did not throw an interception after throwing nine in the second half in his first four games. The Steelers scored the final 24 points.

Bell didn't reach the end zone, but ran 20 times for 66 yards and had nine catches for 88 yards in his second game of the season. Bell was suspended for the first three games but has a combined 332 rushing and receiving yards in two games since returning.

"Me getting better, getting more comfortable in the offense, I think they'll move me around (from running back to wide receiver) a little more and maybe more things will come," Bell said.

Fitzpatrick ended 25 of 38 for 255 yards as the Jets fell to 1-8 all-time -- 1-10 counting the postseason -- in Pittsburgh despite Nick Folk field goals of 35 and 48 yards in the first half, with Matt Forte's season-long 28-yard run setting up the 48-yarder. Forte finished with 53 yards on 12 carries.

"Now's the time to stick together because we've got a lot of ball left," Marshall said following the third straight loss by a Jets team that won 10 games last season.

Bowles called the loss "frustrating, disappointing."

"We're in the game for three or 3 1/2 quarters and then we fall apart at the end," Bowles said. "We've got to go a better job of coaching and (playing) on both sides of the ball."

Chris Boswell had a 47-yard field goal in the third quarter following Brown's 33-yard punt return for the Steelers, who couldn't pull off a fake field goal in the first half -- a gamble that led to the Jets drive that ended with Marshall's TD catch.

Brown, fined $9,000 earlier this season for wearing blue shoes, was forced by an NFL equipment supervisor to take off shoes honoring Muhammad Ali after two drives in the first half. He wore traditional black shoes after that, and went on to make his fifth TD catch in five games.

"I thought I was OK (with the Ali) shoes ... but I wasn't," Brown said.

NOTES: Both teams played the second half without key defensive players as Steelers DE Cam Heyward and Jets LB David Harris both were pulled with hamstring injuries. Heyward had an MRI after the game. ... The Steelers wore their throwback striped black-and-gold third jerseys for the final time. ... The Jets were without CB Darrelle Revis (hamstring). ... The Steelers are 18-5 against the Jets. ... RT Chris Hubbard became the third Steelers undrafted free agent in two weeks to make his first career start. ... Roethlisberger has nine TD passes and no interceptions and in his last two games. ... Jets C Nick Mangold injured a knee late in the third quarter. ... Steelers OLB Jarvis Jones injured a wrist.