Steelers Hold off Titans for First 6-0 Start in 42 Years

(AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers held on to win a battle of the AFC’s last two undefeated teams.

Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes to Diontae Johnson while the Steelers were building a 27-7 lead in a 27-24 win over the Titans in Tennessee. But the Titans scored 17 unanswered points in the second half and were in position to force overtime until Stephen Gostkowski missed wide right from 45 yards with 14 seconds left.

The Steelers improved to 6-0 for their best start since 1978, when Pittsburgh won its first seven on the way to the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh is now the NFL’s only unbeaten team following Seattle’s 37-34 overtime loss at Arizona.

Elsewhere in the NFL:

— The Chiefs overcame 14-degree temperatures and a snowy field to hammer the Broncos for the 10th straight time, 43-16. Patrick Mahomes finished a methodical 15 of 23 for 200 yards and a touchdown as the 6-1 Chiefs handed the Broncos their fourth loss in six games.

— Tom Brady threw for four touchdowns and ran for a fifth as the Buccaneers outscored the Raiders, 45-20. Brady’s final scoring strike moved him ahead of Drew Brees for the most in NFL history, hours after the Saints QB threw for a pair. Brady finished 33 for 45 for 369 yards for the 5-2 Bucs. Derek Carr went 24 for 36 for 284 yards, two TDs and one interception as the 3-3 Raiders were unable to build on a big win at Kansas City before the bye.

— Jeff Wilson Jr. rushed for a career-high three touchdowns and 112 yards before leaving with an ankle injury in the 49ers’ 33-6 romp over the Patriots. San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo finished 20 of 25 for 277 yards with two interceptions in his first game against his former team. Patriots quarterback Cam Newton struggled throughout, completing 9 of 15 passes for 98 yards and three interceptions before being replaced by Jarrett Stidham in the fourth quarter. The 4-3 Niners dropped the Pats to 2-4 and handed New England its worst home loss under Bill Belichick.

— Baker Mayfield passed for five touchdowns, including a 24-yard go-ahead score to Donovan Peoples-Jones with 15 seconds left in the Browns’ 37-34 triumph over the Bengals. Rookie Joe Burrow hit 35 of 47 passes for a season-high 406 yards and three touchdowns, including a 3-yard scoring pass to Giovani Bernard on fourth-and-1 to give Cincinnati a 34-31 lead with 1:06 left. But the Bengals couldn’t stop Mayfield’s final drive in falling to 1-5-1.

— The Packers rebounded from their first loss of the season as Aaron Rodgers threw for 283 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-20 win over the Texans. Rodgers was sharp just a week after throwing for two interceptions and no touchdowns in a 38-10 loss at Tampa Bay. The Packers moved to 5-1 and dropped the Texans to 1-6.

— Playing without his top two receivers, Drew Brees passed for 287 yards and two touchdowns in the Saints’ 27-24 victory against the Panthers. Brees completed 29 of 36 passes to eight targets despite not having receivers Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders in the lineup. New Orleans improved to 4-2 and dropped Carolina to 3-4.

— Tyler Bass tied a franchise record with six field goals to help the Bills beat the Jets, 18-10 and end a two-game skid. Bass kicked a 40-yarder with 1:56 left after also making kicks of 53, 48, 46, 37 and 29 yards. Josh Allen finished 30 of 43 for 307 yards but couldn’t get the 5-2 Bills into the end zone. The Jets led 10-0 in the second quarter before falling to 0-7.

— Justin Herbert got his first NFL win as the Chargers topped the Jaguars, 39-29 to end a four-game skid. Herbert passed for 347 yards and three touchdowns as well as running for a score. The sixth overall pick in April’s draft completed 27 of 43 passes. He also rushed for 66 yards a single-game high for a Chargers QB.

— Matthew Stafford connected with T.J. Hockenson on an 11-yard touchdown pass as time expired before Matt Prater’s 48-yard extra point gave the Lions an improbable 23-22 victory over the Falcons in Atlanta. The Falcons had a chance to win it with a chip-shot field goal, but Detroit was given a chance to get the ball back when Todd Gurley scored on a 10-yard run with 1:04 to play. The Lions are 3-3 following their second straight win, while Atlanta is 1-6.

— Washington racked up six sacks, an interception and a forced fumble while allowing just 142 total yards in a 25-3 blowout over the Cowboys. Montez Sweat led Washington with 2 1/2 sacks and Cole Holcomb had one along with an interception to help Washington improve to 2-5. Dallas quarterback Andy Dalton was 9 of 19 for 75 yards before being injured on a shoulder-to-helmet hit that led to the ejection of Jon Bostic.