ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler discusses Le'Veon Bell's carrying Pittsburgh to victory with his three-touchdown game in Buffalo and Mike Tomlin's earning the game ball from Ben Roethlisberger after his 100th win as Steelers coach. (0:38)

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- From cutbacks to leaps over cornerbacks, Le'Veon Bell had everything working Sunday in Buffalo. And he just might carry the Pittsburgh Steelers into the playoffs after setting a single-game franchise record of 236 rushing yards.

Bell's masterful, three-touchdown day vaulted the Steelers to 8-5 with a 27-20 win over the Buffalo Bills and sent a friendly shot to the Baltimore Ravens to keep up on Monday Night Football against the New England Patriots.

Bell again showed he can carry the Steelers -- winners of four straight -- on his oft-tackled back and bring the heat in December. Don't believe him? Just listen to his comments after his historic performance.

He's already thinking about the next cold-weather Sunday and the damage he can inflict.

"We know what's at stake here," Bell said. "We have no time for setbacks. We can't pat ourselves on the back after a good performance. We have to continue to get better. Next week [at Cincinnati] is a tough game against an AFC North opponent. We have to be ready for that. I'm going to use this motivation to get ready for next week."

In addition to his 236 yards rushing, Le'Veon Bell tacked on another 62 receiving yards. Kevin Hoffman/USA TODAY Sports

With three Ben Roethlisberger interceptions giving Buffalo some chances, Bell eased any concerns with 240 total yards before the fourth quarter even began.

How's this for dominance: The Steelers handed the ball off to Bell nine times on their 10-play, 82-yard touchdown drive to open the second half. And he kept getting stronger, touching the ball 42 times by late in the fourth quarter, adding 62 receiving yards on four catches.

Coming out of halftime, the Steelers "no question" wanted to pound Bell up the middle, guard David DeCastro said.

They did. Twenty-five times. In the first half, the Steelers had implemented a two-to-one ratio of pass to run despite Bell averaging nearly six yards per carry up to that point.

The running game has clearly been a catalyst for the four-game winning streak, with Bell rushing 118 times in his past four games.

Roethlisberger recognizes that, calling Bell's performance "awesome, awesome, awesome" and acknowledging there's no reason to abandon the run when it's rolling like this. The Steelers have utilized two- and three-tight end sets, plus sometimes a third tackle and a fullback.

"I know teams are trying to take away the pass and the big play, so that's part of it," Roethlisberger said. "And the cohesiveness of the offensive line working well with the tight ends ... It opens up holes and Le'Veon is patient when he needs to be ... If it's going as well as it is today, why would you get away from it. If we're struggling a little bit, we've got to find ways to move the ball around."

Since Week 10, Bell -- who surpassed Willie Parker's franchise record of 223 yards set in 2006 -- has 166 touches for more than 900 yards. Bell became the first player in Steelers history to record multiple games of 200 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns.

For his career, Bell now leads all NFL players in yards from scrimmage per game with 128.5, three yards ahead of Jim Brown (minimum of 40 games).

What you need to know in the NFL • NFL playoffs coverage, schedule

• Statistics

• Scoreboard

• Complete 2016 schedule, results

• Standings

Without a clear-cut second receiver on the outside, pumping Bell in the run and the pass is a good way to win away from Heinz Field, where Roethlisberger airs it out efficiently.

Plus, the team's defense is improving. Despite a few late-game breakdowns, the Steelers gave Buffalo little breathing room in the first half. The Bills' only touchdown came off a Stephon Gilmore interception that delivered prime field position. Linebackers Bud Dupree and Ryan Shazier were particularly active as the Steelers sacked Tyrod Taylor on four of his first six dropbacks.

Bell did the rest, and plans to keep doing it through the cold weather.

"He's a Columbus, Ohio and East Lansing [Mich.] runner," coach Mike Tomlin said of Bell. "These environments are not foreign to him."