Steelers turn away Ravens 20-19 after failed 2-point attempt
PITTSBURGH — If the end is near for Ben Roethlisberger, he’s not telling. Not publicly anyway. The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers 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 Baltimore that will be remembered for Roethlisberger’s vintage second-half play and a gutsy — if ultimately fruitless — decision by Ravens coach John Harbaugh to go for the win in regulation.
SEAHAWKS 30, 49ERS 23
In Seattle, Russell Wilson played his best game since returning from finger surgery, throwing for 231 yards and two touchdowns, and the Seahawks made a late goal-line stand to beat the 49ers.
Seattle (4-8) snapped a threegame losing streak but it wasn’t easy as a number of mistakes gave the 49ers a chance for a tying touchdown in the final moments.
With the playoffs still a mathematical possibility, the Seahawks are refusing to fall into the mode of playing out the final weeks. This week, it came at the expense of the Niners’ playoff chase.
WASHINGTON 17, RAIDERS 15
In Las Vegas, Nev., Brian Johnson kicked the go-ahead 48-yard field goal with 37 seconds remaining five days after joining the team, and Washington beat the Raiders for its fifth straight win.
Heinicke threw a 7-yard TD pass to Logan Thomas on the opening drive and a 4-yarder to Antonio Gibson early in the fourth quarter after extending the drive with a key third-down scramble.
Heinicke finished 23 for 30 for 196 yards and has now led four game-winning drives in his first year as a starting quarterback in Washington.
RAMS 37, JAGUARS 7
In Inglewood, Calif., Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson and Odell Beckham Jr. caught touchdown passes from Matthew Stafford, and the Rams snapped their threegame losing streak with a victory over Jacksonville.
Stafford passed for 295 yards while Sony Michel rushed for 121 yards and a score for the Rams (8-4), who rebounded from a winless month 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.
Stafford snapped back into his early-season form, playing turnover-free football after giving the ball away six times during the three-game skid that threatened to derail the Rams’ playoff plans. Los Angeles still has never lost four straight in coach Sean McVay’s half-decade in charge.
EAGLES 33, JETS 18
In East Rutherford, N.J., Gardner Minshew was 20 of 25 for 242 yards and two touchdowns to Dallas Goedert while starting in place of an injured Jalen Hurts in a victory over New York.
Kenneth Gainwell ran for a score, Jake Elliott kicked four field goals and the Eagles (6-7) stayed in the NFC playoff mix by improving to 12-0 all-time against the Jets (3-9).
Hurts insisted during the week he would play despite an ankle injury. But coach Nick Sirianni said Hurts simply wasn’t healthy enough and instead opted to start Minshew.
CHARGERS 41, BENGALS 22
In Cincinnati, Justin Herbert passed for three touchdowns and Tevaughn Campbell returned a Joe Mixon fumble 61 yards for a score, helping the Chargers hold off Joe Burrow and the Bengals for a victory.
Herbert was 26 of 35 for 317 yards as Los Angeles (7-5) rebounded after losing 28-13 at Denver last weekend. Mike Williams had five receptions for 110 yards, and Keenan Allen caught two of Herbert’s TD passes.
The Chargers got off to a
4-1 start this season, and then dropped four of six. So when Cincinnati turned a 24-0 deficit into a tight game, Herbert and company kept their composure — then put the Bengals away.
Allen helped key Los Angeles’ fast start, scoring twice in the first quarter on a 4-yard reception and a 7-yarder. Herbert’s 44-yard TD to Jaylen Guyton made it 24-0 early in the second quarter.
CARDINALS 33, BEARS 22
In Chicago, Kyler Murray threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more in his return from an ankle injury, and the Cardinals beat the struggling Bears.
The Cardinals (10-2) got back Murray and three-time All-Pro receiver Hopkins after both players missed three games because of injuries, then rolled to an easy victory over Chicago (4-8). The NFC West leaders, who have the NFL’s best record, intercepted Andy Dalton four times.
The Cardinals, who were coming off a bye, improved to 7-0 on the road, with each win by 10 points or more.
LIONS 29, VIKINGS 27
In Detroit, Jared Goff threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown as time expired, lifting the previously winless Lions to a victory over Minnesota.
Goff led the Lions on a 75-yard decisive possession without a timeout after Kirk Cousins threw a go-ahead 3-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson with 1:50 left. The Vikings failed on a 2-point conversion for the third time, and those missed opportunities proved costly.
The Lions (1-10-1) ended a 15-game winless streak that lasted 364 days since winning at Chicago last season, giving firstyear coach Dan Campbell his first victory with the franchise.
The Vikings (5-7) hurt their chances of earning a wild-card spot in the playoffs by losing a game they were favored to win by a touchdown.
COLTS 31, TEXANS 0
In Houston, Darius Leonard lead a defense that forced two turnovers in a victory. It is the first time Indy has held a team scoreless since beating Dallas 23-0 on Dec. 16, 2018, and the team’s first shutout on the road since a 6-0 victory at New England in 1992.
Jonathan Taylor ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns to lead Indy’s offense in the rout.
The Texans turned the ball over twice in the first quarter and quarterback Tyrod Taylor was benched in the third quarter as Houston (2-10) lost for the ninth time in 10 games.
Carson Wentz threw for 158 yards and a touchdown for the Colts (7-6) before being replaced by Sam Ehlinger with five minutes left in the fourth quarter and the game long decided.
BUCCANEERS 30, FALCONS 17
In Atlanta, Tom Brady threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns — two of them to Rob Gronkowski, his longtime favorite target — and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved to the brink of clinching the NFC South title with a 30-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
The 44-year-old Brady completed 38 of 51, including touchdowns of 27 and 11 yards to Gronkowski — their first scoring passes since Week 2 against the Falcons.
The Bucs (9-3) 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 remaining.
DOLPHINS 20, GIANTS 9
In Miami Gardens, Fla. Tua Tagovailoa threw a pair of short touchdown passes, and the Dolphins extended their winning streak to five games by topping New York Giants.
Mack Hollins had one scoring grab for Miami. Jaylen Waddle had nine catches for 90 yards for the Dolphins, and rookie Jaelan Phillips had two more sacks — giving him five in his past two games.
Tagovailoa completed 30 of 41 passes for 244 yards and the two scores.