Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
SUNDAY’S ROUNDUPS, SUMMARIES
STEELERS 29, BENGALS 14
PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger threw for 224 yards and 2 touchdowns, Le’Veon Bell added 192 total yards, and Pittsburgh’s defense dominated the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half of a victory.
The Steelers (5-2) relied on their stars to take the lead, then on their reinvigorated defense to blunt Cincinnati and give themselves a significant cushion over the rest of the underwhelming AFC North.
The Bengals (2-4) came in looking to add some more optimism to their resurgence after their 0-3 start, but instead spent the second half reverting to the kind of ineffective offense that got offense coordinator Ken Zampese fired two weeks into the season. The Steelers intercepted Andy Dalton twice and sacked him three times over the final two quarters to pull away.
Chris Boswell added five field goals for Pittsburgh, which posted its highest points total and appears to be rounding into form as the end of October nears.
SEAHAWKS 24, GIANTS 7
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Russell Wilson threw three second-half touchdown passes and the Seahawks limited the New York Giants’ receiver-depleted offense to 177 yards.
Wilson hit Doug Baldwin with a go-ahead 22-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter. He put the game away with a 38-yard TD throw to Paul Richardson on a play that had to be reviewed because of simultaneous possession. He closed out the scoring with a 1-yard toss to Jimmy Graham with 2:14 to go.
The Seahawks (4-2) limited the Giants (1-6) to 46 yards rushing, 14 first downs and 24:34 in time of possession. The defense only forced one turnover, but the fumble by Eli Manning led to the Richardson touchdown.
The Giants, who stunned Denver last Sunday night for their first victory, were only in this game because their defense made plays and limited the Seattle to a field goal in the first half despite being on the field for more than 20 minutes.
TITANS 12, BROWNS 9 (OT)
CLEVELAND — Ryan Succop’s fourth field goal, a 47-yarder with 1:55 left in overtime, extended his NFL record for makes inside 50 yards to 55 in a row and sent the Tennessee Titans to an ugly victory over the winless Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland (0-7) lost durable Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas with an injury. A 10-time Pro Bowler, he missed his first play in 11 seasons. Thomas went out with a triceps injury that snapped his streak of 10,363 consecutive offensive plays. The No. 3 pick in 2007 has been the lone bright spot over the past decade for Cleveland’s franchise.
Succop’s clutch kick enabled the Titans (4-3) to get their second victory in six days. Succop made five field goals in Monday night’s victory over Indianapolis.
Browns rookie Zane Gonzalez forced overtime by kicking a season-long 54-yard field goal with 47 seconds left in regulation to tie it 9-9. Gonzalez added kicks of 31 and 47 yards.
The Browns committed 12 penalties and dropped to 1-22 in two seasons under Coach Hue Jackson, whose future is becoming less certain.
RAMS 33, CARDINALS 0
LONDON — Jared Goff ran for a touchdown and threw for another and Greg Zuerlein made four field goals as the Rams won for the first time in three appearances in Britain.
Arizona (3-4) heads home with significant questions after quarterback Carson Palmer injured his left arm in the second quarter and did not return.
Goff completed 22 of 37 passes for 235 yards with an interception, and Todd Gurley ran for 106 yards and a touchdown for the NFC West-leading Rams (5-2). Los Angeles has won five of its first seven games for the first time since 2003 — the last time the Rams finished with a winning record.
Palmer, who finished 10 for 18 for 122 yards, was hit by linebacker Alec Ogletree and intercepted with 5:48 remaining in the first half. He was replaced by longtime backup Drew Stanton, who completed 5 of 14 passes for 162 yards and an interception and was unable to close what began as a 6-0 deficit.
Gurley’s 18-yard touchdown run immediately followed Palmer’s interception, and Goff helped push the Rams’ lead to 20-0 after he took a zone-read keeper 9 yards for a touchdown.
Zuerlein, who set a franchise record by making seven field goals in a victory against the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 1, connected from 23, 33, 53 and 34 yards.