USA TODAY International Edition
Steelers get revenge
PITTSBURGH – The Steelers and Browns kept things civil in their highly anticipated rematch, which ended the way they always seem to end at Heinz Field: The Steelers walking off in triumph 20- 13.
Devlin “Duck” Hodges threw for 212 yards with a TD and an interception Sunday in his second career start for Pittsburgh. Rookie Benny Snell ran for 63 yards and his first NFL TD, and the banged- up Steelers exacted revenge for their whipping at the hands of the Browns two weeks ago in Cleveland.
Pittsburgh ( 7- 5) boosted its postseason chances by rallying from 10 points down thanks in large part to Hodges, a rookie undrafted free agent who happens to be a champion duck caller in his downtime. He was aided by the emergence of wide receiver James Washington, who caught four passes for 111 yards and a juggling 30- yard score late in the first half.
The Browns ( 5- 7) saw their three- game winning streak come to a crashing halt. Baker Mayfield completed 18 of 32 passes for 196 yards with a TD and an interception; he played the entire second half with his right hand in a protective glove after smacking it against the face mask of Pittsburgh linebacker Bud Dupree.
The teams’ first game Nov. 14 ended with an ugly altercation between Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett and Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph that ended with Garrett hitting Rudolph in the head with Rudolph’s helmet. The ensuing fallout included Garrett being suspended indefinitely; Rudolph fending off Garrett’s allegation that he used a racial slur shortly before things got out of hand; suspensions for Browns defensive end Larry Ogunjobi and Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey; and more than $ 700,000 in fines.
Titans 31, Colts 17: Tye Smith returned a blocked field goal attempt 63 yards for the go- ahead TD with 5: 02 left.
Tennessee ( 7- 5) snapped a three- game losing streak in the series. It also allowed the Titans to leapfrog the Colts in the AFC South.
Adam Vinatieri missed three field goal attempts for Indianapolis ( 6- 6), with two being blocked, including the decisive kick that Dane Cruikshank got his hand on. He has missed 14 kicks this season: eight field goals and six extra points.
Tennessee’s Derrick Henry carried 26 times for 149 yards and one TD.
Chiefs 40, Raiders 9: Patrick Mahomes threw for a TD and ran for a TD, while Juan Thornhill returned an interception 46 yards for another score to lead Kansas City.
LeSean McCoy and Darwin Thompson also had TD runs for the Chiefs ( 8- 4), who took a two- game lead in the AFC West over the Raiders ( 6- 6) by finishing off a season sweep. That means Kansas City can clinch a fourth straight division title with a win over New England and an Oakland loss to Tennessee next weekend.
The Raiders failed to score twice in the red zone, were penalized 12 times for 99 yards and seemingly quit when Kansas City put together a 91⁄ minute drive almost entirely on the ground that soaked up most of the fourth quarter.
Packers 31, Giants 13: Aaron Rodgers threw four TD passes and Green Bay rebounded from a dismal West Coast effort. The Packers ( 9- 3) sent the Giants ( 2- 10) to their eighth loss in a row, their worst skid since 2004.
Rodgers finished 21 of 33 for 243 yards with no interceptions on a slippery, snowy day in New Jersey. He hit Davante Adams on TD passes of 8 and 17 yards, found a wide- open Allen Lazard for 37 yards and capped the performance with a 1- yarder to Marcedes Lewis.
Dolphins 37, Eagles 31:
DeVante Parker made two acrobatic TD receptions and kicker Jason Sanders also had a circus- like scoring catch. Miami ( 3- 9) overcame a 14- point deficit in the second half with three TDs in a 13- minute span.
The Eagles ( 5- 7) lost their third in a row and missed a chance to pull into a tie with the Cowboys atop the NFC East.
Rams 34, Cardinals 7: Jared Goff threw for 424 yards and two TDs, Robert Woods had 172 yards receiving and Los Angeles ( 7- 5) bounced back from an embarrassing 45- 6 loss to the Ravens by embarrassing Arizona ( 3- 8- 1) and stayed in the hunt for a playoff berth.
Goff had thrown no TD passes and five interceptions over his previous three games but responded with 323 yards passing in the first half.
Redskins 29, Panthers 21:
Derrius Guice ran for 129 yards and two TDs and Washington made a late goal- line stand. Adrian Peterson added 99 yards and a score as the Redskins ( 3- 9) piled up 248 yards on the ground and scored their most points this season.
The Redskins spotted the Panthers ( 5- 7) a 14- 0 lead after quarterback Kyle Allen opened the game 8 of 8 for 106 yards with TD passes to Curtis Samuel and D. J. Moore on Carolina’s first two possessions.
But what looked like a Carolina rout quickly turned as the Redskins upped the pressure on Allen and neutralized Christian McCaffrey, holding the NFL’s leader in yards from scrimmage to 102 total yards, well below his average.
Broncos 23, Chargers
20: Brandon McManus’ 53yard field goal as time expired, set up by a long interference call, capped a furious final 14 seconds and gave Denver the win. Both teams are 4- 8.
The winner by McManus, who stormed off the field just before halftime when coach Vic Fangio changed his mind about letting him attempt a record 65- yard field goal, was set up by a 38- yard pass interference call on Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward Jr.
Los Angeles had tied the score at 20 on Michael Badgley’s 46- yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining.
Buccaneers 28, Jaguars
Quarterback Nick Foles ended his first three drives with turnovers that Tampa Bay ( 5- 7) turned into TDs. The loss was Jacksonville’s fourth in a row by at least 17 points.
Jaguars coach Doug Marrone benched Foles at halftime, switching back to Gardner Minshew. The rookie rallied the Jags ( 4- 8) and had a chance to make it a sevenpoint game in the fourth quarter. But his hot pass slipped through Dede Westbrook’s hands and into Sean MurphyBunting’s arms for Jacksonville’s fourth turnover.
Jameis Winston was 21 of 33 for 268 yards and didn’t throw an interception for the first time in a month.