Steelers rally to remain unbeaten

Ben Roethlisberger threw all three of his touchdown passes after shrugging off a knee injury, rallying Pittsburgh to a 24-19 victory over the host Cowboys on and keeping the Steelers as the NFL’s only unbeaten team.

Pittsburgh is 8-0 for the first time in the storied franchise’s history despite an upset bid from the Cowboys, who were the biggest underdogs they’ve been at home in at least 31 years.

Garrett Gilbert was the four th dif ferent starting quarterback in five games for Dallas (2-7), throwing a touchdown pass in his first career start and bringing some life to the offense for a team that lost its fourth straight game without Dak Prescott.

STAFFORD LEAVES GAME » Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford left for good in the fourth quarter against Minnesota to undergo concussion protocol after being struck in the head during a sack, a mishap that capped a very difficult week for the leader of Detroit’s offense.

After the game, Stafford was cleared of concussion protocol.

Officials sent Stafford to the sideline after he was slow to get up from being hit by Eric Wilson and Armon Watts. Chase Daniel took over for the Lions, and Stafford was eventually walked to the locker room by two team doctors.

WASHINGTON’S ALLEN HURT » Washington’s Kyle Allen dislocated his left ankle late in the first quarter against the New York Giants, forcing Alex Smith into just his second NFL game since gruesomely breaking his right leg in November 2018. Allen’s leg bent the wrong way on a sack by Jabrill Peppers, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness, and there was an air cast on the quarterback’s leg as he was carted off. Washington lost 23-20, even though Smith directed a couple of a second-half touchdown drives.

TAGOVAILOA LEADS DOLPHINS » Miami rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns in his second NFL start and the Dolphins rallied i n the f ourth quarter for a 34-31 victory over the Cardinals. Miami has won four straight games. The Cardinals had their threegame winning streak snapped. The 22-yearold Tagovailoa was on the winning end of an action-packed duel with Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray, who finished with 283 yards and three touchdowns.

Golf

VICTORY IN HOUSTON » Carlos Ortiz holed two long birdie putts from off the green to take the lead, then was rock solid down the stretch and delivered the winning shots for a 5-under 65 and a two-shot victory in the Houston Open. Ortiz played the final round alongside a former No. 1 player in Jason Day. He spent the back nine locked in a battle with the current No. 1, Dustin Johnson.

MLB

NATS INVITE BIDEN » The Nationals are making their pitch to Presidentelect Joe Biden. The Nats have invited Biden to toss out the ceremonial first ball next season on opening day. Washington is scheduled to host the Mets at Nationals Park on April 1. “We’re excited to continue the long-standing tradition of sitting Presidents throwing out the first pitch at the home of the national pastime in our nation’s capital,” the team posted on Twitter this weekend.

College football

SCHEDULING NEWS » Air Force’s scheduled game at Wyoming on Nov. 14 has been canceled due to an “upward trend” of COVID-19 cases at the Air Force Academy, the Mountain West Conference announced. ... The Pac-12 Conference has moved Utah’s game at UCLA to Nov. 14. It was originally scheduled for Nov. 13, but Utah has had a rise in positive COVID-19 cases.

MLS

UNION WINS SHIELD » Sergio Santos and Cory Burke both scored and Philadelphia captured its first-ever Supporters’ Shield with a 2-0 victory over the New England Revolution. The Union had a chance to secure the trophy last weekend, but a 2-1 loss to the Columbus Crew put the celebration on hold.