Steelers hop on The Bus

On the day Jerome Bettis and Curtis Martin went over 13,000 yards rushing, Bettis will be remembered most for, of all things, his passing.

Bettis flipped a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jerame Tuman three plays after surpassing the 13,000-yard barrier early in the fourth quarter, fooling what had been a nearly impenetrable Jets defense and sending the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 17-6 victory Sunday in Pittsburgh.

The Bus, unused early this season except during goal-line situations, also ran for a late touchdown — his career-high 12th this season — after rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s longest completion in four games, a 46-yarder to Lee Mays.

Until then, their offense didn’t look Super Bowl-ready – they have been held to 19 or fewer points in four consecutive games – but the Steelers overcame a spotty game by Roethlisberger to win a club record-tying 11th in a row. The 1975 Super Bowl champion Steelers won 11 straight during a 12-2 season.

Roethlisberger kept his unprecedented rookie winning streak going, too, winning his 11th in a row in the NFL and 24th straight the last two seasons, counting his final 13 games at Miami of Ohio.

Packers 16, Lions 13

Green Bay Packers only led for two seconds and that was enough to keep their stranglehold over Detroit, which hasn’t won in Green Bay, Wis., since 1991.

Ryan Longwell’s late 23-yard field goal gave Green Bay a win over the Lions and lifted the Packers into first place in the NFC North.

The Lions blew a 13-0 halftime lead.

Bills 37, Browns 7

Troy Vincent had an interception, fumble recovery and a sack in sparking Buffalo to a win over Cleveland in Orchard Park, N.Y.

The Bills generated five turnovers, added eight sacks and limited the blundering Browns to 17 yards of offense on 46 plays.

Cleveland had 2 yards with 9:34 left in the game, flirting with the NFL record of minus-7 yards, set by Seattle in 1979.

Chargers 31, Buccaneers 24

Donnie Edwards intercepted Brian Griese’s pass and returned it 30 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 4:09 left and San Diego beat visiting Tampa Bay for their seventh straight win.

LaDainian Tomlinson gained 131 yards on 25 carries and scored on a 7-yard run that gave San Diego a 21-14 lead late in the third quarter.

Saints 27, Cowboys 13

Deuce McAllister ran for two touchdowns, John Carney kicked two field goals and Joe Horn added a 31-yard touchdown catch in the closing minutes, carrying New Orleans past Dallas in Irving, Texas.

The Cowboys led 10-0 after one quarter, but managed only one field goal the rest of the game.

Patriots 35, Bengals 28

Tom Brady threw for two touchdowns and New England held off Cincinnati in Foxboro, Mass.

Patriots running back Corey Dillon ran for 88 yards and a TD against his former team.

The Patriots scored first for the 18th straight regular-season game, an NFL record, on Dillon’s 1-yard run on their first series.

Broncos 20, Dolphins 17

Tatum Bell ran for 123 yards and Jason Elam kicked a 50-yard field goal with 2:50 left as Denver edged visiting Miami.

Bell replaced fumble-prone Reuben Droughns early in the game and ran for two scores, but shortly after, he left with a sprained shoulder that could end his season.

Colts 23, Texans 14

Peyton Manning threw touchdown passes on the first two Colts drives and Indianapolis won at Houston to clinch its second straight AFC South title with their sixth straight win.

The Colts settled for three field goals by Mike Vanderjagt (30, 43 and 40 yards) in the second half.

Domanick Davis had 201 total yards for Houston. He had 23 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown, and caught six passes for 73 yards.

Falcons 35, Raiders 10

T.J. Duckett set a team record by rushing for four touchdowns and Atlanta clinched just the third division title in franchise history, wrapping up the NFC South with a rout of visiting Oakland.

Oakland turned it over three times, including an interception that was returned 39 yards for a TD by former Raiders defensive tackle Rod Coleman.

Eagles 17, Redskins 14

Andy Reid moved ahead of Joe Gibbs.

In a game much tighter than form would have predicted, Philadelphia held off Washington in Landover, Md., winning its fifth straight game and propelling Reid past Gibbs into first place in winning percentage among active coaches.

A 10-point third quarter, capped by Dorsey Levens’ 1-yard touchdown run, gave the Eagles a 17-7 lead and just enough cushion to withstand a fourth-quarter Redskins comeback.

Reid’s career record improved to 68-34 (.667), ahead of Hall of Fame coach Gibbs’ 144-74 (.661).

Ravens 37, Giants 14

Kyle Boller threw a career-high four touchdown passes, and Baltimore forced six turnovers in a rout of visiting New York.

Giants rookie Eli Manning went 4 for 18 for 27 yards and two interceptions — a 0.0 quarterback rating — before being replaced in the fourth quarter by Kurt Warner.

Jaguars 22, Bears 3

Byron Leftwich threw two touchdown passes to lead Jacksonville past visiting Chicago.

The Jaguars ended a three-game losing streak and remained a game back in the crowded AFC wild-card race.