Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson continued his renaissance, throwing for 414 yards and three touchdowns as the Pittsburgh Steelers won 44-38 at the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL on Sunday.
Wilson, a Super Bowl winner with Seattle in 2014, was released by Denver last year and signed on a one-year veteran minimum deal with the Steelers.
But having earned the starting role in Pittsburgh ahead of Justin Fields, the 36-year-old is spearheading the team’s strong push towards the playoffs.
Wilson’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Pat Freiermuth at the end of the third quarter was a reminder of his enduring quality, scrambling out of the pocket and finding his receiver with a fine pass on the run.
That score gave the Steelers a 34-24 lead heading into the fourth, and a 21-yard fumble recovery returned by Payton Wilson put them in firm control.
Although Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow threw two touchdowns in the final quarter, either side of a 30-yard Chris Boswell field goal for the Steelers, Pittsburgh held on for a crucial win against their divisional rivals.
The Steelers lead the AFC North on 9-3 with the Baltimore Ravens second on 8-5.
“We are working for something and it matters to us, it matters, it was a great day,” said Wilson.
“We are still learning, still growing, there is still a lot more to do.”
Sam Darnold threw a game-winning touchdown in the final minutes as the Minnesota Vikings fought back to beat the Arizona Cardinals 23-22 for their fifth straight win.
The Vikings sit on 10-2 for the season but are in second place in the highly competitive NFC North which is led by the 11-1 Detroit Lions with the Green Bay Packers on 9-3.
The Vikings trailed 22-16 with 1:13 left when Darnold found Aaron Jones to his right and the running back dashed into the end zone for a 5-yard score.
It was the first time that the Vikings had been ahead in the game, in which Darnold threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns.
– Barkley’s burst –
The Philadelphia Eagles broke out of a tight encounter with the Baltimore Ravens to record their 10th win of the season when star running back Saquon Barkley burst for a 25-yard rushing touchdown to put his team 21-12 up mid-way through the fourth quarter.
A 35-yard Jake Elliott field goal extended the lead to 12 points and although Lamar Jackson found Isaiah Likely with an 11-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds it was too late for a Ravens comeback as the Eagles won 24-19.
Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker’s woes were evident again as he missed two field goals and an extra point.
Barkley, enjoying an outstanding year after being traded by the New York Giants, put up 107 yards on 23 carries.
Geno Smith returned to haunt the New York Jets as he led the Seahawks to a 26-21 victory, clinched by Zach Charbonnet’s 8-yard rushing score in the fourth.
Former Jet Smith threw for 206 yards and a touchdown while opposite number Aaron Rodgers threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns.
Jayden Daniels threw three touchdowns and ran in another as the Washington Commanders crushed the Tennessee Titans 42-19.
The Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) handed Atlanta their third straight loss with a 17-13 win with Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins throwing four interceptions.
The Indianapolis Colts beat the New England Patriots 25-24 with Anthony Richardson throwing a 3-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce with 12 seconds left before the quarterback ran in the game winning 2-point conversion.
Later on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers travel to Buffalo.
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