The slumping Pittsburgh Steelers have been dealt a blow after placing star T.J. Watt on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Pittsburgh have been impacted by coronavirus this NFL season, with star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Minkah Fitzpatrick both missing time due to positive tests.

Steelers push rusher Watt is the latest to land on the COVID-19 list after returning from a one-week absence caused by knee and hip injuries in Sunday's 41-10 rout at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Watt recorded just two combined tackles as the Steelers suffered their first season sweep at the hands of the Bengals since 2009, stretching their winless run to three games.

The three-time Pro Bowler, who has missed two games this season, is now likely to sit out Sunday's matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

Pittsburgh's humbling defeat left the Steelers 5-5-1 but still within striking distance of the final AFC Wild Card spot, which is currently possessed by the Los Angeles Chargers, who defeated Watt's team 41-37 in Week 11.

The Steelers' final six games are all against playoff contenders. They face the Ravens twice and also have games with the Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns.

Carolina Panthers star Christian McCaffrey will miss the rest of the NFL season due to an ankle injury.

McCaffrey has endured a stop-start campaign and after hurting his ankle in Sunday's 33-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins, the running back will play no further part in 2021.

An MRI revealed the severity of the issue, which placed McCaffrey on season-ending injured reserve due to the amount of time it would take for him to recover.

The Panthers (5-7) – who are bottom of the NFC South – have five regular-season games remaining following their bye week.

"I love playing football and have dedicated my entire life to what I believe to be the greatest sport in the world," the 25-year-old McCaffrey wrote via Instagram on Monday.

"Getting healthy and back on the field this season has been my focus everyday from the time I wake up until I go to bed. I've put family, friends and all other interests on hold so I can fully concentrate my efforts on treatment, training, practicing, studying, preparing and playing the game I love at the highest level which is why my season coming to an abrupt end leaves me devastated.

"I am thankful to everyone who continue to help and support me through this difficult time and promise I will fight with everything I have to return bigger, stronger, faster and better than ever. #KeepPounding!"

McCaffrey – a First-Team All-Pro in 2019 – already missed five games this season with a hamstring injury suffered in Week 3, having sat out 13 games last term because of multiple injuries.

Against the Dolphins, McCaffrey finished with 35 yards on 10 carries all in the opening half.

McCaffrey, who totalled 421 yards and a touchdown on 68 touches over the past four weeks, will finish the season with 99 rushes for 442 yards, a TD and 37 receptions for 343 yards and a touchdown in seven games.

Ahead of the 2020 season, McCaffrey signed a four-year, $64million contract extension through the 2025 season – making him the highest paid running back in NFL history.

Since that deal, McCaffrey will have played in only 10 of 33 games for the Panthers.

San Francisco 49ers star Deebo Samuel is not overly concerned about the severity of a groin injury he suffered in Sunday's victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

Samuel, whose breakout season has seen him emerge as one of the most valuable offensive players in the NFL, again produced an instrumental display as the Niners claimed their third straight win.

The versatile wide receiver surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the season and had 66 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a thrilling 34-26 victory for San Francisco, which moved the Niners to 6-5.

Samuel now has 1,209 yards from scrimmage and 10 total touchdowns but was emotional coming off the field late in the third quarter after injuring his groin on a carry.

However, he was soon smiling on the sidelines and was in good spirits speaking to the media after the game, indicating he did not return to the action in order to avoid a more serious injury.

Asked about the level of concern over his injury, Samuel replied: "Not too much concern. I got an MRI and stuff in the morning. We'll just go see how it goes.

"My groin got kind of tight once I went to make a move. So I was just like, let's not make anything worse. And that's why I just went down."

Head coach Kyle Shanahan believed Samuel's initial response was mainly down to frustration, saying: "I think he was just disappointed. We have no idea what it's going to be like.

"I don't think it's as bad as you worry. We're hoping it's a low strain. He feels that it might be, he felt it, which that's what happened to Deebo on the first play of the game versus Washington last year. I think that's what happened to him in the fourth quarter versus New England.

"You can tell when he feels something, he stops right away. That's why I knew right away on the first step of that, that something was there, but by the time that he got to the sidelines, you feel like you saved a real bad injury. We'll have to find out tomorrow [Monday]."

The 49ers moved up to the six seed in the NFC playoff picture with the win, but head coach Kyle Shanahan cited the Niners' coronavirus-enforced late-season move to Arizona last year as an example of the unpredictability that prevents him from looking too far ahead.

"It's way too early to care. You look at that stuff at the end of the day, but what do we have left six games? Six games," he added. 

"There's a lot left to be played. Last year at this time we were moving to Arizona, this Tuesday night. So, I'm fortunate for that. Hopefully these next two days nothing changes, but we were there for a long time."

The Dallas Cowboys have confirmed head coach Mike McCarthy will not take be able to attend Thursday's game against the New Orleans Saints due to COVID-19 protocols.

ESPN reported on Monday that McCarthy, whose side have lost three of their last four games following a six-game winning streak, had tested positive for coronavirus.

The reports stated the Cowboys had suffered an outbreak of COVID-19 within their team camp, with starting right tackle Terence Steele, three offensive coaches and two strength coaches having to withdraw from Thursday's game.

Dallas subsequently confirmed McCarthy would not take to the field against the Saints due to COVID-19 protocols, though did not state if he had contracted the virus.

The statement also confirmed the team would conduct its Monday meeting virtually, with McCarthy cleared to carry on working in a remote capacity ahead of the game.

Dallas (7-4) sit top of the NFC East heading into Week 13, while New Orleans are third in the NFC South with a 5-6 record in 2021.

The New England Patriots are ignoring the noise surrounding their six-game winning streak after maintaining that run by brushing aside the Tennessee Titans.

A dominant second-half showing propelled the Patriots to a 36-13 win over a banged-up Titans team that had previously been the top seed in the AFC.

It is now the Patriots who have their eye on the number one seed after displacing the Titans, with only the Baltimore Ravens (8-3) above the 8-4 Patriots in that race.

But head coach Bill Belichick and his players are giving little regard to talk of their playoff positioning with five games still to play in the regular season.

"Eight games – look, eight games isn't enough to clinch anything or win anything," said Belichick. "We have a long way to go."

Edge rusher Matthew Judon, who registered another sack to take his tally to 11.5, insists the Patriots are in the same place mentally as they were prior to the winning streak and rejected claims of this being a statement victory for New England.

"It is the same confidence. We didn't change, we won't waver and it is the same confidence we had when we were 2-4," Judon replied when asked about their confidence level.

"It doesn't matter if it is a tight game or a blowout, our confidence won't change and we won't waver as a team, as a unit and as players. We come in this building to work every day and we are only going to continue to get better."

"I think someone asked me that a couple weeks ago and the statement or whatever you want to call it, is we have to come out here and win every single game.

"One week at a time so if we don't give up any points and no yards, that game is a statement and every week we have to strive for a statement win.

"If you want to call this a statement or if you just want to call it the next game, we just have to take it week by week and go out there. The statement for us is on to the next week."

The Patriots face the Buffalo Bills, whom they have leapfrogged for the AFC East lead, in Week 13.

And wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, who scored two touchdowns against the Titans, believes that could be the game to give a clear picture of where the Patriots stand.

"I don't think there is a ceiling at all. We try to emphasise that. [Matthew] Slater just talked to us after about not getting overzealous about ourselves," said Bourne. "Just being in the moment and playing each game, each week, and thinking about that game.

"We're onto Buffalo now and that's the focus. That'll be good for us to just certify ourselves."

T.J. Watt described the Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive performance as "absolutely embarrassing" after they were routed 41-10 by the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Steelers suffered their first season sweep at the hands of the Bengals since 2009 on Sunday, stretching their winless run to three games.

The humbling defeat leaves the Steelers 5-5-1 but still within striking distance of the final AFC Wild Card spot, which is currently possessed by the Los Angeles Chargers, who defeated Pittsburgh 41-37 in Week 11.

Bengals running back Joe Mixon gashed the Steelers for 165 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Steelers have given up an average of 180.5 yards on the ground over the last four games.

Though they are still in the mix for the playoffs, star edge rusher Watt knows that will change if they cannot stem the tide on defense.

"It wasn't something any of us are proud of," Watt said. "You never want to have that feeling coming out of a game. We put it on tape and now we have to own it, move forward and know that everybody sees what just happened and what we can expect moving forward.

"We have to stop this before it continues to unravel and become a bigger issue than what it already is. We can't keep playing like this. It's absolutely embarrassing.

"We're trying to solve it and clearly we're not doing a good enough job. We have to go back to the film and everyone has to look at the film and watch themselves critically and figure out how to stop this thing because it's continuous."

Head coach Mike Tomlin shared Watt's sentiments.

"It's alarming, it is," Tomlin said of the amount of points conceded. "We're not trying to play it cool by any stretch.

"We don't play football like that, but we have been our last couple of weeks, so some adjustments need to be made."

The Steelers' final six games are all against playoff contenders. They face the Baltimore Ravens twice and also have games with the Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns.

And veteran defensive lineman Cameron Heyward is under no illusion as to how those games will turn out if the Steelers cannot make said adjustments.

Asked if this is the worst Steelers defense he has been a part of since being drafted in 2011, Heyward replied: "I don't know, I'm probably going to say yes.

"I don't look at the past. All I can do is worry about the present. There's a lot of football to be played, but if we do what we did out there today, we won't win another damn game."

Matthew Stafford insisted he was feeling "fine" physically as he faced questions over his fitness following the disappointing loss at the Green Bay Packers.

The Los Angeles Rams fell to 7-4 after losing 36-28 in an entertaining road game against Green Bay on Sunday.

Stafford threw for 302 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, but also had his lowest completion percentage (55.3) of the season so far.

After making an electric start to the season, Stafford has thrown five interceptions in a run of three straight loses for the Rams, going for a pick-six in each of those defeats.

Stafford also had a lost fumble against the Packers and a report before the game suggested he was battling with back, elbow and ankle problems despite not appearing on the injury report.

"I am feeling fine," said Stafford, per ESPN. 

"Back was kind of barking at me a little bit that week [Week 9], but I haven't missed any time since then. 

"The rest of my body, is it 100 per cent? No, nor is anybody else's in this league at this point of the season.

"You have to take them all [my turnovers] individually. I know that is probably tough for you guys to hear, but that is the truth of the matter. That's the way I see it."

Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey has been surprised by a losing streak that he says must end given the team's star quality.

"It's not a good mood – I can say that," he said.

"Of course I am [shocked]. We have guys that are way too good for us to be losing games like this and losing games on the road. 

"We've just got to get it right. We have to play better, everything has to be better because we're too good to be losing games like this but we're not playing like we're that good right now, so we got to correct our stuff."

Stafford still sits third in the NFL with 3,316 passing yards, second in the league with 27 TD passes and has a fourth-best passer rating of 105.2.

He has had 27 passing plays which have gone for 25 or more yards, which is third-best in the league in a tie with Aaron Rodgers, who was the winning QB in Sunday's game at Lambeau Field.

The impressive Rodgers had 307 passing yards and two touchdowns without an interception, as well as rushing for a score.

It was Rodgers' 60th career game with at least 300 yards through the air and two TDs, becoming only the fourth QB to achieve that feat after fellow NFL greats Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Cam Newton was benched after producing a poor display against the Miami Dolphins but the Carolina Panthers do not expect to change their starting quarterback.

A miserable Sunday for the Panthers saw them go down to a 33-10 loss in Miami, their third defeat in four games.

It was a rough outing for former MVP Newton, who recently returned to the team with whom he made his name as a free agent signing. 

He completed only five of his 21 passes for 92 yards and two interceptions, adding one touchdown on the ground.

Newton was replaced by P.J. Walker with the Panthers (5-7) down 20 in the closing stages, head coach Matt Rhule later explaining the backup had a better grasp of the two-minute offense.

Ex-New England Patriots QB Newton hopes to use the Panthers' bye week to get more familiar with the system before a Week 14 divisional game at home to the Atlanta Falcons.

And Rhule, who cited poor pass protection in explaining Newton's struggles, is not planning to make a move at a position where Sam Darnold and Walker have previously started for the team this season.

"I'm not making any changes right now," Rhule said after the game. "At the end of the day, we weren't protecting the quarterback at all.

"It wouldn't be fair to keep Cam in there and keep getting him hit.''

NFL Research said Newton's completion percentage of just 23.8 was the lowest by a QB with 20-plus attempts in a game since 2004.

Newton, who had looked much better in the narrow loss at Washington last week, had no complaints about Rhule's decision to take him out of the Dolphins game.

"I was fine with that,'' said Newton. "At the end of the day, it's still about being a professional. 

"At that particular point, I had more than enough opportunities to keep the game in the balance. There's no need to put up a fight with that.

"It really got exposed because of the situation, not having a full grasp [of the offense]. Nobody to blame, more so the situation I came into. 

"Having this week to kind of self-scout and dive into what the root of this offense is all about, that's what I plan on doing."

Newton added: "This is the NFL. Nothing's promised.

"Just because Cam Newton's on your roster doesn't mean you're just gonna win. Just because it's a feel-good story doesn't mean you're gonna win. I'm well aware of that."

It was a much better day for the Dolphins, who have now won four straight games to rally from a woeful 1-7 start to a 5-7 record.

Tua Tagovailoa was on the money with 27 completions from just 31 pass attempts for 230 yards and a touchdown.

He became only the fourth player in NFL history to record a completion percentage of 80 or more in consecutive games (minimum 30 pass attempts).

The only two QBs to have achieved the feat before this season are Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, while Kyler Murray also did so for the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 and 3 of this year.

There were other landmarks for the Dolphins too. Cornerback Xavien Howard claimed one of the interceptions on Newton to reach 25 for his career.

The pick meant he surpassed Marcus Peters to become the fastest player to reach 25 interceptions since 1990, doing so in just 67 games.

And rookie wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who had nine catches for a career-high 137 yards, now has 77 receptions through his first 12 career games.

That is the second-best tally in NFL history behind only Odell Beckham Jr (91), who made an explosive start to his career with the New York Giants in 2014.

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh praised Lamar Jackson for his response to the shock of throwing four interceptions against the Cleveland Browns.

Former MVP Jackson became the fourth quarterback in the past 25 seasons to throw four interceptions targeting a single player – in this case, Mark Andrews – in a game after Eli Manning-Hakeem Nicks, Luke McCown-Mike Thomas and Mark Sanchez-Braylon Edwards.

He was also sacked twice on Sunday as he finished with 20-of-32 passing for 165 yards.

However, Jackson's throw for Andrews' touchdown gave the Ravens a 13-3 advantage and they saw out a 16-10 victory to go top of the AFC standings.

The win also ended a run of 41 consecutive games in which a quarterback to throw four interceptions lost the game. The last man to win after such a performance was Andy Dalton for the Cincinnati Bengals against the Ravens in 2013.

The Ravens became the only team in the Super Bowl era to score fewer than 17 points, have fewer than 325 yards in total and throw at least four more interceptions than their opponents and still win the game.

Harbaugh was full of admiration for the way Jackson did not allow himself to be overawed by his mistakes.

"Nobody gets flustered, and it starts with Lamar," he said. "Lamar wants those plays back and he's a massive competitor. Yet he doesn't let it take control of him. He's able to push it aside and he's able to go play the next series and give you great football.

"It's really a rare trait. To me, that's one of the things that makes him the quarterback that he is."

Jackson himself said: "I feel like those drives, when the interceptions came, we could've done something on those drives. We could've put points on the board.

"I just told my team, 'That's me. I owe y'all.'

"I mean, it's one game that it happened. They just made great plays on those interceptions. It wasn't like I was throwing it right to them."

The 8-3 Ravens are at the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday.

 

The Baltimore Ravens dug deep to edge the Cleveland Browns 16-10, despite Lamar Jackson's woes in the NFL on Sunday.

Jackson threw a career-high four interceptions at home to the Browns in Baltimore, but the Ravens still prevailed.

Ravens quarterback Jackson threw four interceptions when targeting team-mate Mark Andrews in Week 12 – the former MVP becoming the fourth QB in the last 25 seasons to throw four INT targeting a single player in a game after Eli Manning-Hakeem Nicks, Luke McCown-Mike Thomas and Mark Sanchez-Braylon Edwards.

Jackson was 20-of-32 passing for 165 yards and a touchdown, while he was sacked twice by the visiting Browns.

That touchdown was a rare highlight on a rough night for Jackson, whose 13-yard throw to Andrews was enough to lift the Ravens after he scrambled back to around the 35-yard line before lofting a pass to the latter in the end zone.

The Jackson-Andrews completion gave the Ravens (8-3) a 13-3 lead, which they did not relinquish en route to claiming top spot in the AFC standings.

Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield combined with David Njoku for a 20-yard TD pass late in the third period, but it was not enough for the Browns (6-6).

Aaron Rodgers expects "greatness" whenever he is on the field after shaking off a toe injury to guide the Green Bay Packers to a 36-28 win against the Los Angeles Rams, though the reigning NFL MVP is set to decide on whether to have surgery.

Rodgers entered Sunday's showdown under a cloud, having missed practice in the lead up to the Lambeau Field clash due to a fractured toe on his left foot.

But the problem could not slow down Rodgers, whose three touchdowns fuelled the NFC North-leading Packers (9-3) past the slumping Rams (7-4).

Rodgers completed 28 of his 47 passes for 307 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, while the Packers quarterback also rushed for a TD on two carries.

"When I step on the field, I expect greatness," said Rodgers after his dominant display.

"Anyone who's a great competitor feels the same way. I don't lean on excuses: not practicing, a little toe injury."

Rodgers, who suffered the injury during quarantine with COVID-19, added: "It definitely isn't the ideal situation not to practice.

"But if I can go out there, take mental reps, go through the plan and my preparation and feel good about what I'm doing, and when I get out there, I've just got to rely on my instincts.

"The beauty is it's an 11-person-a-side game, and I really feel the offensive line allowed me just to settle in."

Despite Rodgers' efforts, the 37-year-old could still go under the knife during Green Bay's bye to address the problem.

"[We're going to do] some more testing in the morning [Monday] and get a better view of what's going on in there and then make a decision [about surgery]," he added.

Tom Brady hailed Leonard Fournette's "huge" speech, which inspired the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a rallying 38-31 road victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Reigning NFL Super Bowl champions the Buccaneers needed a spark after entering the half-time break trailing the Colts 24-14 in Indianapolis on Sunday.

Fournette provided the motivation with an impassioned half-time speech and a career-high four touchdowns as the Buccaneers powered past the Colts.

"[It was] huge. They just made big play after big play. That's what it takes to win," said Brady, who posted his 51st game-winning drive, three shy of Peyton Manning's all-time record.

"You have to make the plays. There's not a lot of margin of error. There are really well-coached teams that have a lot of good players, and everyone's working hard to win.

"So, you're either going to make the play or you don't. And we didn't make them as much in the first half, but we certainly made them in the second half."

Buccaneers superstar Brady completed 25 of his 34 passes for 226 yards, a touchdown and interception as NFC South leaders Tampa Bay (8-3) edged a see-sawing battle.

It was Brady's first victory against the Colts since joining the Bucs in 2020.

"Not a lot of love lost, I think," Brady said, referring to his rivalry with the Colts. "It was good to win."

"I was like, 'You have to have a will and a want,'" said Fournette of his speech. "'You have to be willing to risk everything. Play by play, you have to want to win, you have to want to fight, each and every play.'

"I think they understood that message and played their lights out."

"You could tell the mood -- people's energy was down. And it wasn't like we [were] out there getting our asses whooped. It's just the little things separating us to win the game from them," Fournette said. "So just trying to boost everybody coming out. And thank God it worked."

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians added:" Great win. Coming here, this is a hard, hard place to win and [we] beat a really good playoff team that's playing good. It wasn't pretty the first 30 but it was real pretty the second 30.

"Good team victory – getting turnovers, scoring off turnovers. One of our better halves of football in the second half."

Aaron Rodgers was not slowed down by his toe injury as he guided the Green Bay Packers to a 36-28 win over the struggling Los Angeles Rams.

Rodgers entered Sunday's showdown under a cloud, having missed practice in the lead up to the Lambeau Field clash due to fractured toe on his left foot.

But the reigning NFL MVP shook off the problem with a pair of passing touchdowns while he rushed for another score as the NFC North-leading Packers (9-3) condemned the slumping Rams (7-4) to a third consecutive defeat.

Rodgers completed 28 of his 47 passes for 307 yards and no interceptions and the Packers quarterback also rushed for a TD on two carries.

The Packers led 20-17 at half-time and blew the visiting Rams away with a 16-0 third period, despite the loss of Randall Cobb.

Cobb was ruled out at the start of the second half due to a groin injury, having set a season high for receiving yards with 95 on four catches in the opening two periods, including a seven-yard TD.

Odell Beckham Jr. scored his first touchdown for the Rams on a 54-yard bomb from Matthew Stafford, but it was a tough outing for the quarterback.

Stafford threw a pick-six that overshadowed his three-touchdown display on 21-of-38 passing for 302 yards and two sacks.

 

Niners stay hot in San Francisco

Deebo Samuel's two touchdowns helped the in-form San Francisco 49ers top the Minnesota Vikings 34-26.

Samuel celebrated a pair of TDs before a groin injury cut short his outing as the 49ers (6-5) won their third straight game.

The 49ers star became the first wide receiver in the Super Bowl era to score a rushing touchdown in three consecutive games in a single season.

Elijah Mitchell put up 133 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries for the 49ers, while Jimmy Garoppolo finished 17-of-26 passing for 230 yards, a touchdown and interception.

The New England Patriots struck another blow in the race for the one seed in the AFC, defeating the banged-up Tennessee Titans to leapfrog them with a 36-13 victory at Gillette Stadium.

New England went into Sunday's heavyweight clash having won five successive games, and their ability to produce turnovers proved key in extending that streak to six.

Tennessee, minus their top offensive playmakers in injured running back Derrick Henry and wide receiver A.J. Brown, committed four giveaways while the Patriots produced a flawless game in that regard, rookie quarterback Mac Jones recording his second 300-yard passing game of a stellar first season.

Both teams now stand at 8-4, with the Patriots' victory giving them the tiebreaker over the Titans, with another test of New England's Super Bowl credentials to come a week on Monday when they face AFC East rivals the Buffalo Bills (7-4) on the road.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine's touchdown reception and a 68-yard rushing score from Dontrell Hilliard meant the Titans only trailed 16-13 at half-time.

But their first two drives of the second half, sandwiched by a field goal for New England, ended in a fumble and a punt and Tennessee's slow start to the third quarter was exacerbated when Kendrick Bourne's 41-yard catch and run for his second touchdown of the day gave the Patriots a 26-13 lead.

The Titans drove to New England's two-yard line in response, only for Ryan Tannehill to see a fourth-down pass to Cody Hollister tipped and intercepted by J.C. Jackson.

That allowed the Patriots to stretch the lead with Nick Folk's fifth field goal and, after another failed fourth-down attempt from Tannehill, Damien Harris capped things off for New England with a 14-yard run as they sent an emphatic message to the rest of the AFC.

FOURnette stars as Bucs win Colts thriller

Defending Super Bowl champions the Tampa Bay Buccaneers trailed by 10 points at the end of the half in a see-saw battle with the Indianapolis Colts.

But five Colts turnovers tipped the balance in the favour of the Bucs, Leonard Fournette's fourth touchdown securing a 38-31 victory and a 51st game-winning drive for Tom Brady, putting him three shy of Peyton Manning's all-time record, despite a late 71-yard kickoff return from Isaiah Rodgers that almost forced overtime.

The Bucs (8-3) have a commanding lead atop the NFC South, with the Carolina Panthers' defeat to the Miami Dolphins dropping them to 5-7. The 6-6 Colts remain firmly in the Wild Card picture in the AFC.

Bengals sweep Steelers

The Cincinnati Bengals moved within half a game of the AFC North lead as they completed their first season sweep of the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2009 season.

It was a feat they achieved in style with a 41-10 rout, running back Joe Mixon the star of the show with 165 rushing yards and two touchdowns, with Joe Burrow's lone touchdown throw to Tee Higgins his 10th of 30 or more yards this season.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger endured a miserable day, throwing two interceptions and suffering three sacks to drop Pittsburgh to 5-5-1. The 7-4 Bengals will end the day atop the division if the Baltimore Ravens, who own the top seed with Titans' defeat, lose to the Cleveland Browns later on Sunday.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.