Steelers stop Titans to remain in playoff hunt
PITTSBURGH » Ben Roethlisberger ran for his first touchdown in three years, Chris Boswell kicked four field goals and the Pittsburgh Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive with a 19-13 win over Tennessee on Sunday.
The Steelers forced the Titans into four turnovers and needed every one of them to win for the second time in three games.
Despite the miscues, Tennessee drove deep into Pittsburgh territory in the final moments, but wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine was tackled inches short of the first down at the Steelers 11 with 27 seconds to go.
Pittsburgh remained in the mix in the muddled AFC North despite managing just 168 yards of total offense. Roethlisberger threw for 148 yards to move past Philip Rivers into fifth on the NFL’s career yards passing list, but it was his legs — and Pittsburgh’s resilient defense — that provided the difference.
BILLS 31, PANTHERS 14 ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. » Josh Allen threw three touchdown passes, Devin Singletary ran for a season-high 86 yards with his quarterback mostly kept in the pocket by a sprained left foot and the Buffalo Bills beat the offensively challenged Carolina Panthers.
Allen finished 19 of 34 for 210 yards while Singletary kept Buffalo moving on the ground and opened the scoring on a 16-yard run.
LIONS 30, CARDINALS 12
DETROIT » Kyler Murray had a shaky performance and that helped the Detroit Lions stun the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals started the day tied for the NFL’s best
record and were undefeated on the road, while the Lions were mired at the bottom of the league standings before the first snap.
Murray was 23 of 41 for 257 yards with a touchdown and an interception, adding up to a 72.9 passer rating. The third-year pro has had a slightly lower rating twice this season, and the Cardinals lost both games to the Rams and Green Bay. TEXANS 30, JAGUARS 16 JACKSONVILLE, FLA. »
Tremon Smith returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, ending the longest drought in the NFL, and the Houston Texans beat woeful Jacksonville to end a threegame skid and extend their dominance in the series.
Smith somehow escaped five defenders near the 30yard line — Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins broke his right ankle trying to make the tackle — before coasting the rest of the way. It was Houston’s first kickoff return
for a score since Oct. 4, 2009. Every other NFL team had enjoyed at least one since.
49ERS 31, FALCONS 13 SANTA CLARA, CALIF. »
Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 235 yards and a TD, San Francisco ran for three more scores and the 49ers won for the fifth time in six games, beating the Atlanta Falcons.
The Niners scored touchdowns on four straight drives to make easy work of the Falcons to remain in
wild-card position as the sixth-place team in the NFC.
Atlanta got stopped at the goal line on its first possession of the game and lost a fumble on a strip sack by Nick Bosa on the opening drive of the second half. PACKERS 31, RAVENS 30 BALTIMORE » Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes — tying Brett Favre on Green Bay’s career list — and the Packers became the first team this season to clinch a division title, wrapping
up the NFC North with a win over Baltimore.
The Ravens missed another big 2-point conversion in the final minute.
With Lamar Jackson out with a sprained ankle, Tyler Huntley nearly led Baltimore all the way back from a 31-17 deficit. His 8-yard touchdown run with 42 seconds left pulled the Ravens within one, but Huntley’s 2-point conversion pass was incomplete.