Idle Steelers extend lead on Ravens, Bengals

Staff/wire report

Although the Pittsburgh Steelers did not play on Sunday, they were the big winners in the AFC North.

That’s because the Baltimore Ravens (4-5) and Cincinnati Bengals (3-5) lost.

At the halfway point of the NFL season, the Steelers have a 2 1/2-game lead on the second-place Ravens and a three-game lead on the third-place Bengals. Pittsburgh also owns the tiebreaker over both teams. The division champion earns a home playoff game.

Titans 23, Ravens 20

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

The Tennessee Titans are interested only in stacking victories right now.

Reaching the halfway point tied atop the AFC South means they have time to fix what they must do better.

Marcus Mariota threw for 218 yards and two touchdowns, and the Titans beat the Baltimore Ravens for their third straight victory.

“There’s no question that we have still a lot of work to do,” Titans coach Mike Mularkey said. “There’s no question about that in a lot of areas. But if we can find a way at whatever time in the game to make a play to win the game, that’s all that matters.”

Derrick Henry ran for a 1-yard TD. Safety Kevin Byard also intercepted two passes, giving the second-year pro five picks over his past two games and tying him for the most interceptions in consecutive games since NFL’s 1970 merger. He’s the first with that many since DeAngelo Hall in 2010 for Washington.

The Titans (5-3) also sacked Joe Flacco twice and scored 13 points off Byard’s first interception and a shanked punt.

The Ravens (4-5) have lost three of four going into their off week despite outgaining Tennessee 341-257.

“We’ve been beat up all year, so this will be a good chance to hopefully get healthy and get some guys back,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We were hoping to win this game to get some momentum going into the bye and come out healthy. We’ve got to get on a roll.”

Flacco tried to rally the Ravens with two TD passes in the final 8:56, the last a 1-yard pass to Mike Wallace with 46 seconds left pulling Baltimore within 23-20.

But Justin Tucker’s onside kick attempt didn’t travel 10 yards, skittering almost sideways off the tee before being recovered by Titans linebacker Daren Bates.

Jaguars 23, Bengals 7

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.

As offensively inept as the Cincinnati Bengals were to start the season, they were even worse at Jacksonville.

The Bengals finished with a season-low 148 yards in a loss that showed — again — just how dominant the Jaguars (5-3) can be.

The game will be remembered more for a fight between receiver A.J. Green and cornerback Jalen Ramsey. But Cincinnati’s offense was the one that really got whipped.

It was the team’s worst output since a 27-0 drubbing at Indianapolis in 2014 in which Cincy managed 135 yards. The Bengals (3-5) might not have reached the end zone in this one had it not been for a 59-yard pass play from Andy Dalton to Tyler Kroft during which two defenders collided while missing the tackle. Rookie Joe Mixon scored two plays later.

Jacksonville dominated from there, controlling the ball for more than 40 minutes in a chippy game that could have been much more lopsided.

“When we’re playing like this, what can you really do with us?” Jaguars cornerback Aaron Colvin said. “Where you going to go with the ball? Where are you going to run the ball? We keep trying to tell y’all — there isn’t no secondary out there that’s better than us. We’re trying to show y’all. Eventually everybody will catch on.”

Mixon finished with 31 yards rushing on 13 carries. Dalton threw for 136 yards and was sacked twice.