Dec 11, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Houston Texans Nick Novak (8) makes a field goal in the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Photo Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
INDIANAPOLIS — Nick Novak kicked a franchise-record-tying five field goals and the Houston Texans defeated the Indianapolis Colts 22-17 in a crucial AFC South game on Sunday.
Coupled with Tennessee’s 13-10 victory over Denver, the Texans and the Titans each improved to 7-6 and Indianapolis fell to 6-7, including 0-2 against the Texans. The Colts are 3-4 at home.
Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck was intercepted twice and lost a fumble, with each of the three turnovers setting up a Novak field goal.
Novak’s 34-yard field goal with 2:47 remaining gave Houston a 22-17 lead, capping a drive that drained 6:19 off the clock. The Colts had one more opportunity, but Luck threw incomplete on fourth-and-1 near midfield in the final minute and the Texans ran out the clock.
Titans 13, Broncos 10
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Playing their most important home game in five years, Tennessee hung on to edge Denver.
The Titans (7-6) sealed the victory when Rashad Johnson forced a fumble from A.J. Derby after an 11-yard reception at the Denver 40 with 53 seconds left. Daimion Stafford recovered for the Titans.
The Broncos (8-5) got the ball back at their 2 with 2:26 remaining, but the Tennessee defense came up with its second and biggest turnover of the day to wrap up the win.
The Titans won despite an off-day from quarterback Marcus Mariota, who completed just 6 of 20 passes for 88 yards.
Steelers 27, Bills 20
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Le’Veon Bell ran for a team-record 236 yards and three touchdowns to lead Pittsburgh to its fourth straight victory with a win over Buffalo in the snow.
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 220 yards and three interceptions and Antonio Brown caught five passes for 78 yards as the Steelers improved to 8-5 and continued their playoff push.
Bell also caught four passes for 62 yards, giving him a career-high 298 yards from scrimmage, the second-most in team history and more than the Bills offense complied (275).
The Bills (6-7) have lost two in a row and are likely to extend the longest playoff drought in North American sports to 17 seasons.
Lions 20, Bears 17
DETROIT — Matthew Stafford’s first rushing touchdown of the season completed Detroit’s eighth fourth-quarter comeback victory to beat Chicago.
Stafford’s 7-yard run with 3:17 left moved the Lions (9-4) closer to their first division title in 23 years. Stafford completed 21 of 35 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown but was also picked off for a Bears touchdown. He who wore a protective glove on his throwing hand after injuring a finger late in the first quarter.
Matt Barkley completed 20 of 32 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown for the Bears (3-10). Jordan Howard rushed for 86 yards on 13 carries but the Bears committed 11 penalties for 139 yards.
Vikings 25, Jaguars 16
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Kicker Kai Forbath connected on all four of his field goals and quarterback Sam Bradford found tight end Kyle Rudolph for a game-sealing touchdown in the fourth quarter as Minnesota outlasted Jacksonville.
Bradford completed 24 of 34 passes for 292 yards and a touchdown as the Vikings (7-6) won for just the second time in nine weeks.
Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer returned to the sideline after missing the team’s last game following surgery to repair a detached retina in his right eye. Zimmer had a patch over the eye and was at times wearing sunglasses.
Kicker Jason Myers also had a strong day for the Jaguars (2-11), equaling Forbath in the first half with makes from 45, 55 and 24 as the teams were tied 9-9 at halftime.
Dolphins 26, Cardinals 23
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Andrew Franks kicked a 21-yard field goal on the final play of the game, leading Miami over Arizona.
The win came at a cost as Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill suffered a knee injury — severity unknown — and did not return. His replacement, Matt Moore, was a hero for the Dolphins, completing a 29-yard pass to Kenny Stills on the final drive. That set up Miami at the Arizona 1-yard line with 37 seconds left.
The Dolphins (8-5) kept their playoff hopes alive by winning for the seventh time in the past eight games. The Cardinals (5-7-1) lost two fumbles, threw two interceptions and had three failed kicks by Chandler Catanzaro.
Panthers 28, Chargers 16
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Graham Gano kicked four field goals and Carolina benefited from a strong first half on defense in a victory against San Diego.
The Panthers (5-8) won despite a rather erratic outing from quarterback Cam Newton, who completed 10 of 27 passes for 160 yards.
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, who committed three of his five turnovers in the first half, was 21 of 39 for 236 yards with three interceptions. San Diego (5-8) threatened several times after trailing 23-0.
Redskins 27, Eagles 22
PHILADELPHIA — Chris Thompson scored on a 25-yard run with 1:53 left to play to lift Washington to a victory over Philadelphia.
The win keeps the Redskins (7-5-1) in the hunt for an NFC wild-card playoff spot while the Eagles fell to 5-8 overall and 0-4 against NFC East rivals.
Philadelphia took a 22-21 lead on Caleb Sturgis’ 41-yard field goal with 4:49 left to play, and the Eagles were forced to use tight end Trey Burton as the long-snapper after starter Jon Dorenbos and backup Brent Celek left the game with injuries.
Bengals 23, Browns 10
CLEVELAND — Cincinnati scored three touchdowns in the first half and held on for a victory over winless Cleveland.
The Bengals (5-7-1) kept their slender playoff hopes alive on a frigid day on the southern shore of Lake Erie. They have won two straight games but are running out of time in the AFC North. The Browns (0-13) have now lost 16 straight going back to last season.
Andy Dalton led the Bengals’ charge with two touchdown passes to tight end Tyler Eifert. The Bengals did not need the offensive explosion displayed against the Browns in the first meeting of the season when they rolled up 559 yards, but it was good enough for a fifth straight victory in the so-called Battle of Ohio.
