Steelers rally to clinch AFC North title
The Pittsburgh Steelers are AFC North champions. Finally.
Ben Roethlisberger overcamea month-long malaise to throwfor 342 yards and three second-half touch downs as the Steelers lockedupthe division title with a stunningly improbable 28-24 victory on Sunday.
Listless and life less for weeks thanks to a three-game losing streak that followed an 11-0 start, Pittsburgh (12-3) somehowgot it together over the final 25 minutes against the Colts (10-5). Indianapolis missed a chance to inch closer to a playoff berth when it let a 17-point third-quarter lead slip away.
Roethlisberger, who looked uneven at best and ineffective at worst during Pittsburgh’s recent slide, snapped out of it. He ditched the dink-and-dunk approach that had worked during the early portion of the season but becamefar too predictable during a December swoon.
The38-year-oldquarterback kick-started the come back with a 39-yard strike to Diontae Johnson and brought the Steelers within a touchdown on a 5-yard pass to Eric Ebron. He gave Pittsburgh its first second-half lead since Dec. 7 when he audibled into a play that ended with Roethlisberger threading the ball between two Colts to JuJu Smith-Schuster from25 yards with 7:38 to play.
Indianapolis, so dominant during a first half in which it outgained the Steelers 206-28, had two chances to reclaim the lead in the fourth quarter. Thefirst drive ended with Philip Rivers throwing an interception deep in Pittsburgh territory. The second ended with Rivers’ heave to Zach Pascal sailing high on fourth down.
Rivers finished 22 of 35 for 270 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Rookie running back Jonathan Taylor ran for 74 yards and two touchdowns but basically disappeared in the second half.
Ravens 27, Giants 13: Lamar Jackson directed four scoring drives during the decisive first half, and the surging Baltimore Ravens beat the New York Giants to gain control of their own fate in the AFC playoff chase.
Baltimore’s fourth straight victory, combined with Pittsburgh’s win over Indianapolis, lifted the Ravens past the Colts in the AFC wildcard hunt. With a victory in Cincinnati nextweek, the Ravens (10-5) will earn a playoff berth for the third year in a row.
The Giants (5-10) lost their third straight.
Chiefs 17, Falcons 14:
Kansas City clinched the top seed in the AFC and the only playoffbyewhenPatrick Mahomes threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to DemarcusRobinson with just under two minutes left.
The Chiefs had to watch as Pro Bowl kicker Younghoe Koomissed a tying fieldgoal attempt with 9 seconds left to escape.
The Chiefs (14-1) won their NFL-record seventh straight one-possession game and matched a franchise record with their 10th straight win. They took any seedingdrama out of games involving Pittsburgh and Buffalo and will have that coveted first-round AFCbyewhenthe postseason begins in two weeks.
The Falcons (4-11) took the leadwhen Matt Ryan hit LaquonTreadwell for a 5-yard touchdown with 4:33 to go.
Bears 41, Jaguars 17: The Jacksonville Jaguars took care of business against Chicago on Sunday, losing their 14th consecutive game and moving a step closer to locking up the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft. Hello, Trevor Lawrence? Mitchell T rubi sky accounted for three scores, including two touchdown passes toJimmyGraham, and the Bears pounded the Jaguars in a game thatmeant as much to Jacksonville’s longterm future as it did to Chicago’s short-term fate.
TheBears(8-7), whogained control of their postseason path when Arizona lost to San Francisco on Saturday, can make the NFC playoffs for the second time in three years by beating Green Bay next week at home.
The Jaguars (1-14), who set a franchise record for consecutive losses, cansecure the top pick for the first time in franchise history by losing at Indianapolis next week.