Roethlisberger throws 4 TDs in Steelers’ rout

Ben Roethlisberger threw for 299 yards and four touchdowns, three to Antonio Brown, and the Steelers pulled away from the Tennessee Titans in a 40-17 victory last night in Pittsburgh. Running the no-huddle offense extensively for the first time all season, Roethlisberger completed 30-of-45 passes to help the Steelers (8-2) win their fifth straight.

Brown caught 10 passes for 144 yards and the three scores, including an acrobatic grab in the back of the end zone in which he pinned the ball to his helmet before bringing it in to put Pittsburgh up 20 in the fourth quarter.

Marcus Mariota ran for a touchdown and threw for another but also was picked off four times as the Titans (6-4) saw their four-game winning streak come to a crashing halt. Mariota finished 22-of-33 for 306 yards but was under pressure much of the night, absorbing five sacks and rarely finding room to move outside the pocket.

Still, Tennessee appeared to be in it when Mariota hit Rishard Matthews with a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second half to get to 16-14 but Pittsburgh’s long-sputtering offense finally came to life.

Pittsburgh opened in the no huddle and needed just six plays to take the lead as Roethlisberger took advantage of a free play and hit Brown with a 41-yard rainbow. Mike Hilton then returned Mariota’s interception to set up the first of Chris Boswell’s four field goals and the Steelers appeared on the verge of another prime-time blowout at home.

The blowout did eventually arrive, just not quickly. And the gap between Tennessee and Pittsburgh remains significant. The proof came after Matthews’ long catch-and-run appeared to give the Titans momentum.

It didn’t last.

The Steelers, with Roethlisberger deftly at the controls, finally showcased the firepower they’ve only flirted with this season. The 35-year-old, who struggled with his accuracy at times, was near perfect over the final 30 minutes.

Big Ben finished 20-of-23 for 185 yards in the second half as Pittsburgh’s $92-million offense sprang to life, scoring on four straight possessions.

Roethlisberger found a leaping Brown for a 5-yard score to put Pittsburgh up 23-14, executed a perfect play-action fake near the goal line before flipping it to a wide-open Jesse James for a 1-yard touchdown and put the Titans away with a lob to the back corner of the end zone that Brown somehow hauled in from 10 yards out that made it 37-17.

And for the first time all season, the Steelers put it all together and looked every bit like a team with a legitimate threat to play deep into January and beyond.

Rivers still iffy

Philip Rivers is recovering from a concussion, and although the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback appears to be progressing through the NFL’s concussion protocol, coach Anthony Lynn said his availability could be in question right up to game time on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

If Rivers can’t play, Kellen Clemens will make his first NFL start since 2013 . . . .

Wide receiver Corey Coleman, Cleveland’s No. 15 overall pick in 2016 whose career has been slowed by twice breaking his right hand, will return to the Browns’ lineup on Sunday against Jacksonville.

Fitzgerald near deal

Larry Fitzgerald and the Cardinals are closing in on a one-year extension that will keep the veteran wide receiver in Arizona through the 2018 season, according to multiple reports.

Fitzgerald, 34, has showed no signs of slowing down. He ranks in the top 10 in the league in receptions (60, second overall) and yards (677, seventh). In his most recent game, he passed 15,000 career receiving yards, making him the sixth player in NFL history to reach that mark.