Steelers rally, then turn back Ravens on 2-point try
If the end is near for Ben Roethlisberger, he’s not telling. Not publicly, anyway. The longtime Pittsburgh quarterback insists he won’t make a final decision about his future until January at the earliest.
Until then, he is intent on savoring each moment as it comes. Moments like the giddy postgame locker room Sunday night inside Heinz Field, when a surprised Roethlisberger received the game ball following the 39th fourth-quarter comeback of his career, a 20-19 victory over the Ravens that will be remembered for Roethlisberger’s vintage second-half play and a gutsy — if ultimately fruitless — decision by Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh to go for the win in regulation.
“You should always try to savor moments like this,” Roethlisberger said after throwing for 236 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns to Diontae Johnson.
It was a moment the Steelers (6-5-1) desperately needed in order to be any sort of factor down the stretch. Pittsburgh ended a three-game winless skid behind a flash of brilliance from Roethlisberger and Johnson and the long arms of linebacker T.J. Watt.
Watt finished with a careerhigh 31⁄2 sacks despite missing practice all week after being placed on the COVID-19 list, and his presence forced Lamar Jackson’s two-point-conversion throw to tight end Mark Andrews to fall harmlessly to the turf after a 6-yard touchdown catch by Sammy Watkins cut the deficit for the Ravens (8-4) to a point with 12 seconds to go.
Rather than turn to the NFL’s best kicker to force overtime by going for an extra point, Harbaugh told Justin Tucker to remain on the sideline and asked Jackson to win it in regulation. Jackson took the snap and looked to his right, but in an effort to keep the ball out of Watt’s reach, he ended up leading Andrews too far. The pass smacked off Andrews’ outstretched hands and the Steelers escaped.
“I was cool” with the decision, Jackson said. “I want to win.”
The Steelers sacked Jackson seven times.
Harbaugh pointed to the play of his injury-depleted secondary — a list that now includes Marlon Humphrey, who left in the second half with an issue Harbaugh did not disclose — as the main reason to avoid overtime.
The Ravens certainly looked a step slow over the final 15 minutes as Roethlisberger hit a wide-open Johnson for scores of 29 and 5 yards, the last a flip that gave the Steelers a 20-13 lead with 1:48 to go.
Jackson took Baltimore 60 yards, and Watkins’ tumbling touchdown grab left the Ravens down a point.
“We were pretty much out of corners at that point in time,” Harbaugh said. “It was an opportunity for us to win the game right there. … You saw the play. It’s that close. It’s a game of inches.”
Chiefs 22, Broncos 9: The resurgent Kansas City defense shut down Teddy Bridgewater and visiting Denver, and Daniel Sorenson returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown as the Chiefs won their fifth straight game. Patrick Mahomes had 184 yards passing with a touchdown run and an interception for the Chiefs (8-4), who lead the Chargers by a game and the Broncos and Raiders by two in K.C.’s bid for a sixth straight AFC West championship. Teddy Bridgewater was held to 257 yards passing and threw two second-half interceptions for the Broncos (6-6), who have lost 12 in a row to their longtime AFC rivals dating to the 2015 season.
Rams 37, Jaguars 7: Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson and Odell Beckham Jr. caught touchdown passes from Matthew Stafford, and Los Angeles won at home to snap a three-game losing streak. Stafford passed for 295 yards and Sony Michel rushed for 121 yards and a score for the Rams (8-4), who rebounded from a winless November with a solid all-around effort against a struggling opponent. Kupp had his 100th reception of a remarkable season among his eight catches for 129 yards. Rookie Trevor Lawrence passed for 145 yards for the Jaguars (2-10), who have lost four straight. Jacksonville committed two turnovers and struggled to get anything going against L.A.’s defense, managing just 197 total yards.
Cardinals 33, Bears 22: Kyler Murray threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more in his return from an ankle injury for visiting Arizona. The Cardinals (10-2) got back Murray and three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins after both players missed three games because of injuries, then rolled over Chicago (4-8). The NFC West leaders, who have the NFL’s best record, intercepted four Andy Dalton passes. The Cardinals, who were coming off a bye, improved to 7-0 on the road, with each win by 10 points or more. Murray completed 11 of 15 passes for 123 yards, giving him 10,092 in three seasons, on a cool and soggy afternoon. At 24 years, 120 days, he became the fourth-youngest player with 10,000 career yards passing, according to NFL research.
Buccaneers 30, Falcons 17: Tom Brady threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns — two to longtime favorite target Rob Gronkowski — and visiting Tampa Bay (9-3) moved to the brink of clinching the NFC South title. The Bucs won their third straight game and pushed their division lead to four games over Atlanta, Carolina and New Orleans (all 5-7) with five games left. Brady, 44, completed 38 of 51 throws, including touchdowns of 27 and 11 yards to Gronkowski.
Eagles 33, Jets 18: Gardner Minshew started in place of an injured Jalen Hurts and led clock-eating Philadelphia to scores on its first seven possessions at the Meadowlands. Minshew was 20-for-25 for 242 yards and two touchdowns to Dallas Goedert. Kenneth Gainwell ran for a score, Jake Elliott kicked four field goals and the Eagles (6-7) improved to 12-0 all-time against the Jets (3-9). With Hurts out with an ankle injury, Philadelphia bounced back from a 13-7 loss to the Giants the previous Sunday at MetLife Stadium to slice through the Jets’ defense drive after drive. The only possession on which the Eagles didn’t score was their last.
Dolphins 20, Giants 9: Tua Tagovailoa threw two short touchdown passes, and host Miami (6-7) extended its winning streak to five games. Isaiah Ford and Mack Hollins had the scoring grabs for Miami, and rookie Jaylen Waddle had nine catches for 90 yards. Mike Glennon started at quarterback for the Giants (4-8) in place of Daniel Jones, who was sidelined with a neck injury. Glennon completed 23 of 44 throws for 187 yards, and Saquon Barkley had 55 rushing yards on 11 carries. Glennon finished the game, but the team said he was diagnosed afterward with a concussion.
Colts 31, Texans 0: Jonathan Taylor ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns and visiting Indianapolis rolled. The Texans committed two turnovers in the first quarter and quarterback Tyrod Taylor was benched in the third quarter for Stanford alum Davis Mills as Houston (2-10) lost for the ninth time in 10 games. Taylor, who leads the NFL in yards rushing, has 16 rushing touchdowns for the Colts (7-6), tying the franchise record set by Lenny Moore in 1964.
Panthers make a change: Carolina fired offensive coordinator Joe Brady during the team’s bye week. Offensive assistant Jeff Nixon will take over Brady’s duties for the rest of the season. Brady was considered a major hire by head coach Matt Rhule before the 2020 season. Brady was the coordinator of LSU’s prolific offense with quarterback Joe Burrow in 2019 when the Tigers won the national title. Then 30 years old, Brady was the NFL’s youngest coordinator.