The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Titans clinch AFC’S top seed with 28-25 win over Texans
Ryan Tannehill tied a career high with four touchdown passes to help the Tennessee Titans clinch the top seed in the AFC with a 28-25 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday. The 12-5 Titans have the No. 1 seed in the AFC for the third time since leaving Houston in 1997 and first since 2008. They also have a first-round bye.
Tannehill threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter to put the Titans up 21-0 at halftime. But the Texans (4-13) came alive in the second half, scoring 18 unanswered points to get within 3 before Julio Jones caught his first touchdown pass of the season on a 3-yard grab that made it 28-18 with about seven minutes remaining.
Houston cut the lead to 3 again when Danny Amendola’s second touchdown reception of the game made it 28-25 with 4½ minutes to go. Tennessee got a first down on third-and-2 with about three minutes left and ran out the clock to secure the victory.
Tannehill’s big day came after he threw a career-high four interceptions in a 22-13 loss the first time Tennessee played Houston this season on Nov. 21. On Sunday, he was 23 of 32 for 287 yards. Houston’s Davis Mills threw for 301 yards and three TDS to give him 2,604 yards passing this season and move past David Carr (2,592) for most yards passing by a rookie in franchise history.
Amendola had seven receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
Steelers 16, (at) Ravens 13, OT: Ben Roethlisberger delayed his retirement for a few hours and probably longer, guiding Pittsburgh to a win that left the Steelers on the verge of an improbable playoff berth. Chris Boswell made a 36-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining to win the game for the Steelers, who could make the postseason as long as Sunday night’s Chargers-raiders game didn’t end in a tie. Roethlisberger set up the winning kick when he completed a 10-yard pass over the middle to Ray-ray Mccloud on fourth-and-8 from the Baltimore 41.
Latavius Murray put the Ravens (8-9) ahead 10-3 with a 46-yard TD run in the third quarter, but Baltimore lost its sixth straight. The Ravens were without QB Lamar Jackson, who missed a fourth straight game with an ankle injury.
T.J. Watt of the Steelers (9-7-1) tied Michael Strahan’s single-season record of 22½ sacks late in the second quarter.
(At) Jaguars 26, Colts 11: The Colts badly botched a chance to secure an AFC wild-card spot with their seventh consecutive road loss to the Jags. NFL rushing champ Jonathan Taylor was held to 77 yards, Carson Wentz turned the ball over twice — leading to 10 points — and Indy (9-8) did little to stop the Jaguars (3-14) with a playoff berth on the line.
The Colts still could’ve landed a playoff spot despite the loss, but they needed Baltimore to beat Pittsburgh, Las Vegas to defeat the Chargers and New England to knock off Miami.
Jaguars rookie Trevor Lawrence completed 23 of 32 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns, his first game with multiple TD passes since the season opener.