Jaguars pick off Big Ben five times in upset
Telvin Smith and Barry Church returned a pair of Ben Roethlisberger’s interceptions for touchdowns as Jacksonville stunned the Steelers 31-9 in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
The Jaguars (3-2) beat the Steelers for the first time in a decade by relying heavily on the NFL’s top-ranked pass defense. The Jaguars picked off Roethlisberger five times in all and sacked him twice. Rookie Leonard Fournette ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns for the Jaguars, who are over .500 after five games for the first time since 2010 and have already matched their victory total from 2016.
Roethlisberger completed 33 of 55 for 312 yards and his career-high five interceptions, the most by a Pittsburgh quarterback since Mark Malone threw five against Cleveland in 1987. SEAHAWKS 16, RAMS 10 >> Russell Wilson passed for 198 yards and a touchdown, and Earl Thomas forced two of the Rams’ five turnovers in Seattle’s win.
Jimmy Graham scored late in the first half in a defense-dominated win for the Seahawks (3-2), who shut out the NFL’s highestscoring offense in the second half of their second straight win over their NFC West rivals.
Thomas made enormous defensive plays early and late for Seattle. The veteran safety stripped the ball from Todd Gurley at the goal line to kill the Rams’ opening drive, and he intercepted Jared Goff’s fluttering pass at midfield with 6:02 to play.
Goff went 22 of 47 for 288 yards with three costly turnovers. EAGLES 34, CARDINALS 7 >> Carson Wentz threw three of a career-best four touchdown passes in the first quarter, including 59 yards to Torrey Smith, 11 yards to Zach Ertz and 15 yards to Trey Burton.
The Eagles (4-1) have won three straight games.
Carson Palmer and Arizona’s one-dimensional offense were held to 279 yards. CHARGERS 27, GIANTS 22 >> Philip Rivers threw a 10yard touchdown pass to Melvin Gordon with 2:58 to play and the Chargers rallied to beat the Giants in a game worthy of two teams that started the season 0-4.
DOLPHINS 16, TITANS 10 >> Jay Cutler finally silenced the boobirds in Miami with a fourth-quarter touchdown pass, and the Dolphins overcame another dismal offensive showing.
The jeers started in the first quarter of the Dolphins’ home debut, and soon the crowd was chanting for backup quarterback Matt Moore. But coach Adam Gase stuck with Cutler, who capped a 58-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jarvis Landry for the tiebreaking score. PANTHERS 27, LIONS 24 >> Cam Newton threw three touchdowns to help the Panthers (4-1) build a lead big enough to hold off the Lions.
Newton came under fire
for making sexist comments to a female reporter this week. He apologized after losing an endorsement deal and getting criticized by the NFL. He was 26 of 33 for a season-high 335 yards.
BENGALS 20, BILLS 16 >> A.J. Green had a hand in three turnovers that kept it close, but the receiver also pulled off a 77-yard touchdown and another long catch that set up a score. Green’s 47yard catch set up a 5-yard touchdown run by Joe Mixon that put Cincinnati ahead to stay in the fourth quarter.
JETS 17, BROWNS 14 >> Josh McCown came back to Cleveland and beat the team that cut him, throwing two touchdown passes and leading the surprising Jets over the winless Browns, who benched rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer and fell to 1-20 under coach Hue Jackson.
McCown went 1-10 in two seasons as a starter for the Browns, who released him on Feb. 7 in a cost-cutting move.