Steelers rally to stun Jaguars
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. >> Ben Roethlisberger was far from perfect until the fourth quarter, and that was all that mattered for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
One week after Roethlisberger had a perfect quarterback rating, he overcame three interceptions and a 16-0 deficit by leading two late scoring drives. He lunged in from the 1 for the winning score with 5 seconds left for a 20-16 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
The Steelers (7-2-1) won their sixth straight and likely ended any playoff hopes for the Jaguars, who eliminated Pittsburgh in the divisional round last year. The Jaguars
(3-7) dropped their sixth in a row in a game they controlled until the final five minutes.
Leonard Fournette ran for 95 yards and caught two passes for 46 yards that led to the Jaguars’ only touchdown when he launched himself from the 4 and scored for a
16-0 lead with 2:09 left in the third quarter.
Roethlisberger, who now has 10 turnovers in his last three games against Jacksonville, took over from there. TEXANS 23, REDSKINS 21 >> Justin Reid returned an interception 101 yards to help the Texans overcome a mistake-prone Deshaun Watson for their seventh consecutive victory.
Washington’s loss came at a significant price when quarterback Alex Smith suffered a gruesome ankle injury on a sack in the third quarter. Smith’s right ankle turned the wrong way as he was sacked by Kareem Jackson and J.J. Watt on a play eerily similar to Joe Theismann’s broken leg that came exactly
33 years ago to the day. Colt McCoy replaced Smith and threw for a touchdown pass and led a long scoring drive for Washington (6-4), which likely will have to rely on the journeyman quarterback the rest of the way. COWBOYS 22, FALCONS 19 >> Brett Maher shook off a missed extra point and kicked a 42-yard field goal on the final play.
Matt Ryan threw a 34yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones for Atlanta’s only touchdown with 1:52 remaining to tie the game. But Dallas drove
51 yards in 10 plays, setting up Maher’s winning kick as time expired .
The Cowboys (5-5), who gained a game on Washington in the NFC East, gave their playoff hopes a boost. Atlanta (4-6) lost its second straight game and now faces long odds to reach the postseason — especially playing in the NFC South, where the Falcons trail New Orleans and Carolina.
After a field goal battle between Maher and Atlanta’s Matt Bryant left the Falcons with a 9-6 lead heading to the final period, Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott scored on a pair of runs to push the Cowboys to a 19-9 lead. BRONCOS 23, CHARGERS 22 >> Brandon McManus kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired and snapped the Chargers’ six-game winning streak.
Denver got the ball at its 8 with 1:51 remaining, and Case Keenum orchestrated a seven-play, 76-yard drive. Keenum, who was 19 of 32 for 205 yards, completed five passes for 86 yards during the drive, including a 30-yarder to Courtland Sutton to the Denver 16. Keenum then spiked the ball and McManus kicked the field goal as time expired.
Phillip Lindsay had 11 carries for 79 yards and Sutton had three receptions for 78 yards. Denver (4-6) had lost six of seven coming into the game.
COLTS 38, TITANS 10 >> Andrew Luck threw three touchdown passes and Marlon Mack and Jordan Wilkins both ran for scores. Indy (5-5) has won four straight for the first time since November 2014. Luck remained unbeaten in
10 starts against the Titans. Tennessee (5-5) lost quarterback Marcus Mariota in the final minute of the first half after he reinjured his right elbow. Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees also was taken to a nearby hospital for observation after medical workers were called to the coaches’ box during the first quarter.
RAVENS 24, BENGALS 21 >> Rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson juked and sprinted for 117 yards in his first NFL start, Gus Edwards ran for
115 and the Ravens ended a three-game losing streak.
Flashing the moves that enabled him to win the 2016 Heisman Trophy at Louisville, Jackson zipped in and out of the pocket for 27 carries. Though the Ravens (55) relied heavily on the run, Jackson also completed 13 of
19 passes for 150 yards with an interception.
LIONS 20, PANTHERS 19 >> Cam Newton threw an incomplete pass on a 2-point conversion with 1:07 left, letting the Lions hold on. Newton had time and receiver Jarius Wright open in the end zone, but the star quarterback sailed the pass high. Carolina coach Ron Rivera went for the win after Newton threw his third touchdown pass to DJ Moore, perhaps because usually reliable kicker Graham Gano missed an extra point and a field goal earlier in the game.
The Lions (4-6) recovered an onside kick to seal the victory and end a season-high three-game losing streak. They were in a position to win after Matthew Stafford threw a go-ahead, 19-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Golladay with 5:19 left.
The Panthers (6-4) have lost two straight for the first time this season.
Newton was 25 of 37 for
357 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Moore had seven receptions for 157 yards and a score. RAIDERS 23, CARDINALS 21 >> Daniel Carlson kicked a 35yard field goal as the game ended in a matchup of teams scraping the bottom of the NFL standings.
The Raiders (2-8), who had lost five straight, matched the record of the Cardinals.
Derek Carr threw for two touchdowns and had completions of 32 and 20 yards on the final drive that led to Carlson’s winning kick. Carlson also had field goals of 49 and
21 yards in the second half. Arizona rookie Josh Rosen threw for three touchdowns, two to Larry Fitzgerald, but was intercepted twice. Both picks led to first-half touchdowns for Oakland. David Johnson rushed for a seasonbest 137 yards, including a
53-yarder that set up Rosen’s
5-yard TD pass to Fitzgerald that gave the Cardinals a 2120 lead with 5:02 to play.