The Latest on Week 14 of the NFL season: (all times local):
12:10 a.m.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are AFC North champions after a wild 39-38 victory over the division rival Baltimore Ravens.
Pittsburgh blew an early two-touchdown lead and trailed by 11 points going into the fourth quarter before rallying. A 34-yard completion from Ben Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown set up Chris Boswell’s 46-yard field goal with 42 seconds left.
Roethlisberger threw for 506 yards and two touchdowns, and Brown caught 11 passes for 213 yards.
The win was emotional for the Steelers as they paid tribute to linebacker Ryan Shazier, who remains hospitalized with a spinal injury.
Pittsburgh improved to 11-2 and has a chance to earn the AFC’s top playoff seed. Baltimore fell to 7-6 and remains in contention for a wild card.
10:55 p.m.
Joe Flacco has the Baltimore Ravens rolling.
The Baltimore quarterback has thrown for two touchdowns as the Ravens have rallied from an early 14-point deficit to take a 31-20 lead over the Steelers through three quarters. Alex Collins is over 100 yards rushing for the Ravens. Baltimore is trying to prevent the Steelers from wrapping up their third AFC North title in the last four years.
The Ravens have scored on five straight drives after giving up a pair of early touchdowns to Pittsburgh running back Le’Veon Bell.
The Steelers came out firing early while paying tribute to injured linebacker Ryan Shazier, who is in the hospital dealing with a spinal injury. The adrenaline wore off, however, and the Ravens got going behind Flacco.
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10:00 p.m.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 30 minutes away from the AFC North title.
Le’Veon Bell scored twice in the first half and Chris Boswell added a pair of field goals as the Steelers took a 20-14 lead over Baltimore.
Pittsburgh raced to a quick two-touchdown lead but the Ravens responded in the second quarter behind a Joe Flacco touchdown pass to Chris Moore and a touchdown run by Alex Collins.
The Steelers are playing without injured linebacker Ryan Shazier, who is in the hospital recovering from a spinal injury. After an early emotional surge by Pittsburgh, the Ravens started to find cracks in the NFL’s fourth-ranked defense.
— AP Sports Writer Will Graves reporting from Pittsburgh.
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9:15 p.m.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are off to an inspired start while taking a 14-0 lead over the Baltimore Ravens.
Le’Veon Bell has scored both touchdowns for Pittsburgh, scoring on a 20-yard reception. He added a 1-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter.
The Steelers are playing without linebacker Ryan Shazier, who remains in the hospital recovering from a spinal injury suffered against Cincinnati. The team is wearing Shazier-themed T-shirts underneath their jerseys and several players have an image of Shazier on their game cleats.
Pittsburgh can clinch the AFC North title for the third time in four years with a victory.
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8 p.m.
The Philadelphia Eagles have clinched the NFC East title, but lost quarterback Carson Wentz to a knee injury.
Nick Foles replaced Wentz, and the Eagles beat the Los Angeles Rams 43-35 to improve to 11-2.
The Jacksonville Jaguars now sit atop the AFC South after beating Seattle 30-24. They moved ahead of Tennessee after the Titans lost 12-7 in Arizona.
The Chargers beat Washington 30-13 to stay tied with Kansas City in the AFC West.
Denver snapped an eight-game skid by beating the New York Jets 23-0.
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7:10 p.m.
The Philadelphia Eagles say quarterback Carson Wentz has an injured knee and won’t return to Sunday’s showdown against Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams.
Wentz was hit hard as he scrambled into the end zone late in the third quarter on a play that was called back because of holding on tackle Lane Johnson. Four plays later, Wentz threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery to give the Eagles a short-lived 31-28 lead. The Rams then went up 35-31 on a 1-yard run by Todd Gurley.
The Eagles quarterback went to the locker room, and he has been replaced by Nick Foles.
— AP Sports Writer Bernie Wilson reporting from Los Angeles
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7 p.m.
Seahawks all-everything linebacker Bobby Wagner has been ruled out against Jacksonville with a hamstring injury.
Wagner left the game in the third quarter, went to the locker room for evaluation and treatment and did not return.
LB K.J. Wright also left the game with a concussion and has been ruled out.
It was the latest injury for a defense already playing without cornerback Richard Sherman, safety Kam Chancellor and defensive end Cliff Avril.
— AP Sports Writer Mark Long reporting from Jacksonville, Florida.
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6:40 p.m.
There’s been a huge momentum swing in the Eagles-Rams showdown between division leaders.
Blake Countess returned a blocked punt 16 yards for a touchdown to give the Rams a 28-24 lead early in the third quarter. The punt was blocked by Michael Thomas, and the ball bounced right to Countess in stride.
It was the Rams’ second TD in less than two minutes. Jared Goff capped the opening drive of the second half with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins.
The Eagles had taken a 24-14 halftime lead on three touchdown passes by Carson Wentz. They need to win to clinch the NFC East.
— AP Sports Writer Bernie Wilson reporting from Los Angeles
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6:30 p.m.
New York Jets quarterback Josh McCown has been ruled out against Denver with a left hand injury.
McCown was hurt in the third quarter against Denver when he was hit by Broncos linebacker Shane Ray. McCown walked toward the Jets’ sideline holding his left hand before taking a knee. After being checked out, he went to the locker room.
Bryce Petty took over for McCown, who also was shaken up earlier in the game while scrambling for extra yardage.
In other injuries, long snapper Thomas Hennessy (head) and running back Elijah McGuire (ankle) are both out.
— AP Sports Writer Pat Graham reporting from Denver.
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5:55 p.m.
Philip Rivers and the Los Angeles Chargers’ offense started out on a roll against Washington.
The Chargers racked up 354 yards against the Redskins while taking a 23-6 lead. Those 354 yards were the most a first half for the Chargers since at least 1991 and their most in any half since 2010.
Rivers passed for 256 yards and two touchdowns while passing Warren Moon for ninth place in NFL history in yards passing.
The Chargers didn’t punt, but were forced to kick three field goals. They also made an 81-yard drive in the final 85 seconds before halftime, but Austin Ekeler was tackled at the 4 on a 33-yard run as time ran out.
— AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham reporting from Carson, California
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5:50 p.m.
The Seattle Seahawks were held scoreless in a first half for the first time in more than a year.
Jalen Ramsey intercepted one of Russell Wilson’s deep passes, Blair Walsh missed a 38-yard field goal at the end of the half and the Jaguars led Seattle 3-0 at the break.
It was the first time the Seahawks were held without points in an opening 30 minutes since playing at Arizona in October 2016. That game ended in a 6-6 tie.
— AP Sports Writer Mark Long reporting from Jacksonville, Florida
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5:45 p.m.
Larry Fitzgerald of Arizona now stands third on the NFL’s all-time receiving list.
The Cardinals wide receiver caught a 23-yard pass early in the third quarter against Tennessee to give him 15,303 yards receiving. That pushed him past Randy Moss who had 15,292 yards. Fitzgerald used to wash Moss’ car for cash and borrowed it for the prom.
Only Jerry Rice (22,895) and Terry Owens (15,934) have more yards receiving in NFL history than Fitzgerald.
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5:40 p.m.
Tennessee Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan is out against the Arizona Cardinals with a back injury.
Lewan went to the locker room with a back injury in the first half, and the tackle who was a Pro Bowl lineman last season was questionable to return. But he came out for the second half without his gear.
Backup Dennis Kelly replaced Lewan at left tackle.
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The Associated Press has counted at least 16 NFL players protesting during the national anthem in Week 14.
After five players protested during the early games, the count jumped with the late afternoon games.
Chargers left tackle Russell Okung raised his fist as he does every game before kickoff against Washington.
In Arizona, Titan wide receiver Rishard Matthews stayed off the field during the anthem and then joined his teammates on the sideline once it ended. Titans linebacker Nate Palmer raised a fist and looked to the sky during the anthem.
Rams linebacker Robert Quinn held up his right fist for most of the anthem. Punter Johnny Hekker had his arm around Quinn in support.
At least seven Seattle Seahawks players sat or knelt for the national anthem in Jacksonville. The group included defensive linemen Michael Bennett, Sheldon Richardson, Frank Clark, Quinton Jefferson, Marcus Smith and Branden Jackson, and offensive lineman Duane Brown. All seven have sat or knelt previously.
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4:25 p.m.
Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams have jumped on top quickly in the showdown between the first two draft picks of the 2016 NFL draft.
This game between Goff and Carson Wentz’s Eagles marks just the eighth time in the Super Bowl era that quarterbacks taken No. 1 and No. 2 overall in the same draft have squared off. Goff was the first pick overall in 2016, followed by Wentz.
The No. 1 pick is 5-2 in such matchups.
Wentz and the Eagles got the ball first. But Wentz was intercepted on the third play from scrimmage, and the Rams scored three plays later for a 7-0 lead for Goff.
The last No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup came on Sept. 13, 2015, when the No. 2 pick in that year’s draft, Marcus Mariota, led Tennessee to a 42-14 victory vs. Jameis Winston (No. 1) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their NFL debuts.
Before that, it was all the way back to 1998, when the top pick that year, Peyton Manning, led the Colts to a 17-12 victory against second pick Ryan Leaf and the San Diego Chargers.
Drew Bledsoe (No. 1, 1993) and Rick Mirer (No. 2) faced off three times — Mirer was with a different team each time — and Jim Plunkett (No. 1, 1971) and Archie Manning (No. 2) faced off twice.
— AP Sports Writer Bernie Wilson reporting from Los Angeles
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The Minnesota Vikings have missed their chance to clinch the NFC North with both chances Sunday, starting with a 31-24 loss to Carolina. The Vikings still could’ve clinched with losses or ties by Detroit and Green Bay only to see the Lions beat Tampa Bay 24-21 and the Packers kept Cleveland winless with a 27-21 overtime victory.
Philadelphia could have clinched before its game with the Rams, but Dallas beat the Giants 30-10.
Buffalo’s 13-7 overtime win over Indianapolis means both New England and Pittsburgh will have to win their own games to clinch playoff berths.
Kansas City beat Oakland 26-15 to take sole possession of the top of the AFC West to itself.
Chicago routed Cincinnati 33-7, and San Francisco beat Houston 26-16.
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2:58 p.m.
Bills rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman has been shaken up after a run and replaced by third-stringer Joe Webb in Buffalo’s game against Indianapolis.
Peterman took off to his right and dived headfirst as he was being tackled in a cloud of snow by linebacker Antonio Morrison and tackle Johnathan Hankins.
Peterman lay on the field for a moment and was slow to get up before going to a medical tent on the sideline. He was then taken to the locker room for further evaluation of a head injury.
The rookie fifth-round pick was starting in place of Tyrod Taylor, who is sidelined by a bruised left knee.
Third-stringer Joe Webb took over.
— John Wawrow reporting from Orchard Park, New York.
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2:40 p.m.
Tom Savage will not return to Houston’s game against the San Francisco 49ers because of a concussion.
Savage was injured when he was driven to the ground on a hit by Elvis Dumervil with about nine minutes left in the second quarter. Replays showed Savage looking dazed after his head hit the ground with both of his arms lifted upward shaking.
He was taken to the medical tent where he stayed for less than three minutes before returning to the bench and going back in for the next series. He threw two incompletions on that drive, and Houston’s team doctor approached him after he returned to the sideline after that possession.
Savage tried repeatedly to enter the game on the next series. But a team official kept grabbing Savage’s jersey and finally his arm and pulled him away from the field. He then could be seen arguing with that person and the team’s trainer before being escorted to the locker room.
He was replaced by T.J. Yates.
— AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken reporting from Houston.
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2:06 p.m.
Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper has left their game against Kansas City after getting his right leg rolled under while blocking downfield late in the second quarter.
Cooper had missed the past couple games with a concussion, but he cleared the NFL’s protocol earlier this week. He was still questionable with a left ankle sprain, and it was the opposite leg that got caught under a defender as Cooper blocked downfield on DeAndre Washington’s run.
Cooper dominated the Chiefs in their meeting earlier this season, catching 11 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns.
— AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta reporting from Kansas City, Missouri.
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1:28 p.m.
Josh Gordon has his first touchdown in nearly four years.
Cleveland’s troubled wide receiver, who recently returned after being suspended for two seasons, caught an 18-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter against Green Bay. It was Gordon’s first TD since December 2013. The 26-year-old played his first game since 2014 last week.
The winless Browns are hoping Gordon can stay sober and resurrect his Pro Bowl career. He caught a 38-yard pass on Cleveland’s first play from scrimmage .
— AP Sports Writer Tom Withers reporting from Cleveland.
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