PITTSBURGH -- Ben Roethlisberger gave a hint that his hot play might continue into 2018.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, who contemplated retirement in the offseason, was asked about Sunday's divisional round playoff with the Jacksonville Jaguars potentially being his last at Heinz Field.
"I don't think it is my last, but I'm not thinking about that right now," Roethlisberger said Wednesday while at his locker. "I'm going to go out and play this one and give everything I have."
If the Steelers win Sunday, they would play at New England in the AFC Championship Game next week unless the Tennessee Titans pull off an upset on Saturday night, potentially making Sunday's matchup the final home game of the season at Heinz Field.
Roethlisberger, 35, has made clear he won't commit to another season in order to focus all his efforts on this one.
Center Maurkice Pouncey, Ben Roethlisberger's closest friend on the team, told ESPN he doesn't expect this to be Big Ben's last year and believes his past contemplation was over taking hits a few years ago.
"He came out and had a great year and made a Pro Bowl," Pouncey said. "He'd he crazy to walk away."
Roethlisberger takes on a Jaguars defense that intercepted him five times in a Week 5 loss. In the 10 games since, Roethlisberger has 22 touchdowns to seven interceptions. Roethlisberger was especially hot in December, averaging 325 yards per game with 16 total touchdowns over the final six weeks.
Roethlisberger said after last season's AFC title game loss to the New England Patriots that he would take time to evaluate his football future. In April, he committed to a 14th NFL season. He has since said his talented offensive line could extend his career, and his 58 sacks from 2015-17 is one of the league's lowest totals.
For now, though, Roethlisberger is living in the playoff moment.
"You have to treat every game like it could be your last because you never know when it is," Roethlisberger said. "We saw an example obviously earlier this season with [injured linebacker] Ryan [Shazier]. You never know when it could be your last. I'm hoping it's not his last, but you have to go out and play every play and enjoy every play and every game like it could be your last."