CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals lost quarterback Andy Dalton in the second quarter to a thumb injury, and Ben Roethlisberger passed for 282 yards and DeAngelo Williams rushed for two touchdowns to lift the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 33-20 victory over the Bengals on Sunday.
Dalton suffered a fractured thumb and will miss at least one game and possibly two. He is scheduled to see a hand specialist on Monday.
It was a disastrous day for the Bengals, whose hopes of securing the top overall seed in the AFC took hit with Dalton and tight end Tyler Eifert leaving the game with injuries.
A.J. McCarron replaced Dalton and finished 22 of 32 for 280 yards and two TDs to go along with a pair of interceptions as the Bengals (10-3) failed to clinch the AFC North title.
Panthers 38, Falcons 0
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cam Newton threw three touchdown passes, including two in the first half to wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., as unbeaten Carolina shut out Atlanta.
The Panthers (13-0) continued their franchise-best start to the season and clinched an opening-weekend bye in the NFC when the playoffs begin next month. They moved closer to securing home-field assignments throughout the playoffs.
The Falcons (6-7) lost their sixth game in a row, further damaging remote chances to reach the playoffs.
Seahawks 35, Ravens 6
BALTIMORE — Russell Wilson threw five touchdown passes to lead Seattle over struggling Baltimore.
The Seahawks (8-5) have won six of their past seven games and look like a legitimate Super Bowl contender once again. It was the first game this season not decided by eight points or fewer for the Ravens (4-9).
Wilson completed 23 of 32 passes for 292 yards. Wide receiver Doug Baldwin had three touchdown receptions, and he now has eight in the past three games.
Eagles 23, Bills 20
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia ruined LeSean McCoy’s homecoming and kept pace in the NFC East race with a victory over Buffalo.
The Eagles (6-7) stay tied for first place on NFC East with the Washington Redskins. Both are now a half-game ahead of the New York Giants, who play the Miami Dolphins on Monday night.
McCoy, the Eagles’ all-time leading rusher, was traded to the Bills (6-7) in the offseason and he did not leave on good terms with coach Chip Kelly. McCoy, who said this past week that he would not shake hands with Kelly, ended up with 74 yards on 20 carries.
Redskins 24, Bears 21
CHICAGO — Kirk Cousins passed for 300 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another touchdown as Washington held on to beat Chicago.
Redskins tight end Jordan Reed hauled in nine passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. Washington (6-7) snapped a nine-game road losing streak and earned its first win away from home since Oct. 27, 2014.
Bears quarterback Jay Cutler completed 19 of 31 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery caught six passes for 107 yards and a touchdown for Chicago (5-8), which dropped to 1-6 at home.
Jaguars 51, Colts 16
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville used three lengthy scoring plays of 49 yards or more in a little more than four minutes and Blake Bortles threw three second-half touchdowns in a rout of Indianapolis.
The scoring surge started late in the first half when Jaguars defensive end Andre Branch knocked the ball out of Indianapolis quarterback Matt Hasselback’s hands before scooping it up and going 49 yards for a touchdown.
Bortles led the Jaguars on three consecutive long scoring drives. The first was an 80-yard march in eight plays and finished with a 4-yard pass to Allen Robinson. It was Bortles’ 10th touchdown pass in the last three weeks, the most by a Jaguars quarterback ever during a three-game stretch.
Browns 24, 49ers 10
CLEVELAND — Cleveland snapped a seven-game losing streak and running back Isaiah Crowell rushed for two touchdowns to beat San Francisco in Johnny Manziel’s return as the starting quarterback.
Manziel, who was banished to the bench two weeks ago for lying to the team about partying, threw for 270 yards on 21-of-31 passing for one touchdown and one interception.
The victory assured the Browns (3-10) will not tie the 1999 expansion team (2-14) for the worst record in franchise history. It also snapped a five-game losing streak at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Chiefs 10, Chargers 3
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City extended its winning streak to seven games with a victory over San Diego.
The victory moved the Chiefs to 8-5 overall and they continue to lead the run for an AFC wild-card slot.
Rain began falling Sunday morning and it did not stop from opening kickoff to the game’s final play. While field conditions appeared solid, it was impossible for either team to keep the football dry and the chains moving.
Saints 24, Buccaneers 17
TAMPA, Fla., — Drew Brees threw for two touchdowns and converted third downs all day, leading New Orleans over Tampa Bay.
The Buccaneers (6-7) saw their wild-card hopes take a hit as they weren’t able to score at length on the NFL’s worst defense. Tampa Bay had a chance to tie the game late, but punted rather than face a fourth-and-10 with 4:21 left.
The Saints (5-8) converted 12 third downs, including two key conversions on their final drive to eat up clock with the lead. Brees threw for 312 yards and Tim Hightower, filling in for the injured Mark Ingram, rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown.
Jets 30, Titans 8
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three first-half touchdown passes and New York remained in the thick of the AFC wild-card race by cruising to a win over Tennessee.
Fitzpatrick finished 21-of-36 for 263 yards and no interceptions as the Jets (8-5) extended their winning streak to three games — their first three-game streak since Nov. 27-Dec. 11, 2011.
Fitzpatrick threw touchdown passes to wide receiver Brandon Marshall (six catches for 125 yards), wide receiver Eric Decker (seven catches for 74 yards) and running back Bilal Powell (five catches for 46 yards).
Rams 21, Lions 14
ST. LOUIS — Todd Gurley’s 49-yard run in the third quarter led to his go-ahead touchdown two plays later and St. Louis snapped a five-game losing streak with a win over Detroit.
Gurley’s 5-yard score at the 3:57 mark of the period capped an 80-yard drive, nearly equaling the Rams’ total yardage to that point. Prior to that possession, they managed only 111 yards and seven first downs in their first game under interim offensive coordinator Rob Boras, who replaced the fired Frank Cignetti on Monday.
Rams quarterback Case Keenum, who returned to the lineup after missing two games with a concussion, completed 14 of 22 passes for 124 yards with an interception.
