Ben Roethlisberger became the first NFL rookie quarterback to win his first seven starts since 1970, and Jerome Bettis had two short touchdown runs in leading the Pittsburgh Steelers over the Cleveland Browns 24-10 on Sunday.
The Steelers (8-1) took smashmouth football to a new extreme. Pittsburgh linebacker Joey Porter bloodied Browns running back William Green in a fight during pregame drills. Both were ejected before the game began.
PHOTO: AFP
After handing New England and Philadelphia their first losses the past two weeks, Pittsburgh figured to be due for a letdown. That will have to wait until next week -- maybe -- as the Steelers remained the NFL's hottest team with their seventh consecutive win.
Bettis, starting in place of the injured Duce Staley for the second straight week, gained 103 yards on 29 carries. He scored on touchdown runs from 5 and 1 yards in the first half.
The Steelers put the game away when Aaron Smith stripped quarterback Jeff Garcia and safety Russell Stuvaints ran it in from 24 yards.
Garcia was just 7-for-16 for 110 yards. He was sacked four times and threw an interception for Cleveland (3-6). He was replaced by Kelly Holcomb with nine minutes left.
Patriots 29 , Bills 6
In Foxboro, Massachusetts, the Patriots showed another local champion, the Boston Red Sox, that they can dominate just as well.
After Curt Schilling and Johnny Damon participated in a pregame ceremony for the winners of baseball's World Series, Tom Brady, the Most Valuable Player in two of the last three Super Bowls, threw two touchdown passes. Adam Vinatieri kicked five field goals, Corey Dillon rushed for 151 yards on 26 carries, and the Patriots picked off four passes.
The Patriots (8-1) put together their second straight impressive performance after their NFL record 21-game winning streak, including playoffs, ended on Oct. 31 at Pittsburgh. They outgained the Bills 428 yards to 125 and moved two games ahead of the New York Jets in the AFC East.
Ravens 20, Jets 17, OT
At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Matt Stover kicked a 42-yard field goal with 7:39 remaining in overtime. Last season, Stover kicked two game-winning field goals in overtime for Baltimore (6-3).
Kyle Boller got the Ravens in position for the winning score by converting a third-and-5 from the Baltimore 49 with a 21-yard pass to Kevin Johnson. Boller then completed a 10-yard pass to Travis Taylor on third-and-14 from the Jets 34 to put the Ravens in field goal range.
Boller was 19-of-33 for 213 yards with two touchdowns, both to rookie Clarence Moore. Jamal Lewis had 30 carries for 68 yards.
The Jets (6-3), losers of three of their last four games, led 14-0, but Ed Reed's end-zone interception of Lamont Jordan's halfback pass and return to the New York 36 turned things around.
Bears 19, Titans 17, OT
At Nashville, Tennessee, Alex Brown sacked backup Billy Volek in the end zone and knocked the ball loose for a safety and an overtime win.
It was only the second time an NFL game has ended in overtime on a safety. The first was Nov. 5, 1989, when Minnesota beat the Los Angeles Rams 23-21 when Mike Merriweather blocked Dale Hatcher's punt and the ball rolled out of the end zone.
The victory gave the Bears (4-5) their first three-game winning streak since the end of the 2001 season -- Chicago's last playoff appearance.
Tennessee (3-6) allowed Steve McNair another week to rest his bruised and aching chest, giving Volek the fourth start of his career. It turned into a sloppy, ugly game that featured 20 punts.
The Titans came up with five sacks and forced three turnovers while holding Chicago to 176 yards total offense. But Tennessee made some costly mistakes, including an interception returned for a touchdown by R. W. McQuarters and two fumbles by Chris Brown.
The Titans tried to win in regulation, but punter Craig Hentrich, who tries all field goals over 50 yards, had a 52-yard attempt blocked as time expired.
Colts 49, Texans 14
At Indianapolis, Peyton Manning threw five touchdowns for the third time this season and completed 18 of 27 passes for 320 yards.
Indianapolis (6-3) won its second straight and retained its share of the AFC South lead with Jacksonville.
Manning, the only player in NFL history to throw five TDs four times in a 12-month span, engineered three touchdown drives that used a total of 2:06. After three quarters, Manning had just one more incompletion (six) than he did touchdown passes, and he surpassed his last season's TD total of 29. The 2003 co-MVP now has 31 touchdown passes this year; Dan Marino's NFL record is 48.
Defensively, the Colts' maligned unit looked like a Pro Bowl team. Robert Mathis had three sacks and forced three fumbles and the Colts finished with a season-high five sacks. They also returned a fumble and an interception for touchdowns.
Houston (4-5) is now 0-5 against the Colts after matching the worst loss in franchise history.
Packers 34, Vikings 31
At Green Bay, Wisconsin, Ryan Longwell's 33-yard field goal as time expired gave the Packers a victory over their archrivals and a tie atop the NFC North, both at 5-4.
The Vikings, losers of three straight, rallied to tie it with two touchdowns in the final 2:53.
After Daunte Culpepper's fourth touchdown toss, Robert Ferguson returned the kickoff to midfield, where Antoine Winfield forced a fumble. Officials ruled Packers tight end Ben Steele recovered.
Brett Favre, who also threw four touchdown passes, calmly guided Green Bay to the Vikings 15, where Longwell split the uprights. It was Favre's 18th game with four or more touchdowns, second only to Dan Marino's 21.
Just a month after being all but counted out, the Packers have won four straight in their quest to become just the ninth team in NFL history to overcome a 1-4 start to reach the playoffs.
Cardinals 17, Giants 14
At Tempe, Arizona, Just like the old days in Dallas, Emmitt Smith made life miserable for the Giants, who aided greatly in their own demise.
Smith rushed for a pair of touchdowns and Arizona sacked Kurt Warner six times, including four by Bertrand Berry. Smith rushed for 67 yards on 19 carries, 30 yards on Arizona's go-ahead touchdown drive. He had scoring runs of 2 and 3 yards en route to passing 18,000 yards rushing in his career. It was the first time in two seasons Smith ran for two scores in a game.
Arizona (4-5) won its second straight, improved to 3-1 at home and is just a game back in the weak NFC West.
After a 4-1 start, the Giants are 5-4. Tiki Barber rushed for 108 yards on 21 carries, but had only 28 yards on nine attempts in the second half. New York was penalized 10 times for 97 yards, including infractions that played big roles in all three of Arizona's scores.
Bengals 17, Redskins 10
At Landover, Maryland, second-year quarterback Carson Palmer, displaying the smooth efficiency lacked by Redskins veteran Mark Brunell, completed 24 of 39 passes for 217 yards against the NFL's top-ranked defense.
Rudi Johnson added 102 yards on 31 carries for the Bengals (4-5), who have won three of four. They also broke a six-game road losing streak.
Palmer's day was marred by two interceptions, but he completed 45 of 71 passes for 429 yards over his last two games.
The Redskins (3-6) hit a new low in Joe Gibbs' comeback year, with fans booing from the opening drive. The Hall of Fame coach even had to relent to the fans' chants and end his steadfast loyalty to Brunell, whose season-long struggles prompted Gibbs to put backup Patrick Ramsey in the game to thunderous cheers in the second quarter.
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