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UNDATED (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals followed their 8-0 start with a two-game losing streak before getting back on track this afternoon.
Andy Dalton was 20 of 27 for 233 yards and three touchdowns in the Bengals' 31-7 drubbing of St. Louis. A.J. Green had scoring receptions of nine and 18 yards, while Tyler Eifert also had his NFL-leading 12th touchdown catch for the 9-2 Bengals.
The 4-7 Rams have dropped four in a row, in large part because their offense ranks last in the league in passing. Nick Foles returned as the starter and threw three interceptions, including one that Leon Hall returned 19 yards for a touchdown. Foles has seven touchdowns and nine interceptions this season.
St. Louis has scored 13 or fewer points in its last three games.
In other finals on the Week 12 NFL schedule:
— Arizona picked up its fifth straight win as Carson Palmer ran for a go-ahead, 8-yard touchdown with 2:28 left to send the Cardinals to an ugly 19-13 victory over San Francisco. Larry Fitzgerald had 10 catches for 66 yards to move up the NFL's all-time list in both categories. He passed Hall of Famer Steve Largent for 16th place in yards receiving, and climbed over Randy Moss for 12th place in receptions. David Johnson ran for a 1-yard touchdown in the third for the 9-2 Cardinals, who still lead the NFC West by three games over Seattle. The 49ers are 3-8.
— The Seahawks improved their playoff chances as Russell Wilson tied a team record with five touchdown passes in a 39-30 win over Pittsburgh. Wilson was 21 of 30 with three TD passes to Doug Baldwin and two to Jermaine Kearse (kurs). Baldwin had six receptions for 145 yards, and Thomas Rawls provided 72 yards rushing and a touchdown on 19 carries for the 6-5 Seahawks. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (RAWTH'-lis-bur-gur) was 36 of 55 for 456 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions before leaving the game in the fourth quarter. Landry Jones tossed a late interception to seal the fate of the 6-5 Steelers, who lost control of an AFC wild-card berth.
— Adrian Peterson rumbled for 158 yards and two touchdowns in Minnesota's 20-10 win over slumping Atlanta. It was his sixth 100-yard game this season and helped the 8-3 Vikings reclaim a one-game lead over Green Bay for first in the NFC North. The Vikings' defense kept Atlanta out of the end zone until Matt Ryan's 1-yard touchdown pass to Nick Williams with 1:28 remaining. But Ryan threw two interceptions including one in the end zone with the Falcons threatening to score. The 6-5 Falcons have lost five of six.
— Matt Hasselbeck still has the winning touch, and the Colts are glad. The 40-year old quarterback threw for 315 yards and two scores in a 25-12 win over Tampa Bay. Hasselbeck won for the fourth times this season while filling in for the injured Andrew Luck. He was an efficient 26 of 42 and had a rating of 100.8. Forty-two year old Adam Vinatieri booted four field goals to move to within two of Jason Hanson for third on the all-time list. Tampa Bay rookie Jameis (JAY'-mihs) Winston threw for 245 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked five times. Four came during the second half in which the Bucs were shut out
— It's not often that a 5-6 record 12 weeks into the season gets you into first place. But that's the case in the NFC East where Washington beat the Giants 20-14 to tie New York for the division lead. Kirk Cousins threw for a score and ran for another to help the Redskins build a 20-0 lead. The Washington quarterback was 20 for 29 for 302 yards. Eli Manning had his troubles throwing three interceptions, including two that deflected off of receivers hands. Manning did throw fourth quarterback touchdown passes to Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham, Jr. to make the score respectable.
— David Carr connected with Seth Roberts on a 12-yard scoring pass with 1:21 to go, helping Oakland complete a 24-21 win over Tennessee. Carr threw for 330 yards and three scores in his sixth 300-yard passing game this season. Roberts finished with six catches for 113 yards and two TDs, and rookie Amari Cooper had seven receptions for 115 yards. Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariotta (mar-ee-OH'-tah) had three touchdown passes but also threw two interceptions
— Brian Hoyer had 205 yards passing and two touchdowns and Houston's defense stifled Drew Brees in a 24-6 win over New Orleans. Hoyer was 21 of 27 with an interception in his return after missing last week's game with a concussion. The 6-5 Texans have won four games in a row for the first time since winning six straight in 2012. New Orleans dropped its third straight on a day when the team didn't score a touchdown for the first time since 2005, and Brees' streak of games with a touchdown pass was snapped at 45. Brees was 25 of 44-for 228 passing yards and an interception
— Phillip Rivers threw four touchdown passes to lead San Diego to a 31-25 win over Jacksonville, ending a Chargers six-game losing streak. Rivers passed Joe Montana and tied Vinny Testaverde for 11th on the NFL's all-time list with 275 TD passes. Rivers connected twice with Antonio Gates for scores. He finished 29 of 43 for 300 yards for the 3-8 Chagers. Jacksonville's Blake Bortles completed 30 of 49 passes for 329 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception. Julius Thomas caught nine of Bortles' passes for 116 yards but it wasn't enough to keep Jacksonville from falling to 4-7.
— Alex Smith passed for 225 yards and two touchdowns as Kansas City continued its comeback from a 1-5 start with a 30-22 win over Buffalo. The Chiefs have won five in row to get themselves back in the playoff picture. Spencer Ware rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown, while Jeremy Maclin hauled in nine passes for 160 yards and a score. Buffalo's Sammy Watkins caught six passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns, but was shutout in the second half. The Bills fall to 5-6.
— Ryan Fitzpatrick had four touchdown tosses to lead the Jets past Miami 38-20. He found Brandon Marshall for nine completions, 131 yards and two scores. The win reversed a slide of four losses in five games for the Jets who improved to 6-5. Ryan Tannehill was 33-of-58 for 351 passing yards, three touchdowns and an interception for the Dolphins. Miami has lost four five to fall to 4-7.
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