TAMPA, Fla. — The streaking Houston Texans are gaining confidence by the victory.
The AFC South leaders pummeled the reeling Tampa Bay Buccaneers 37-9 on Sunday with Matt Schaub throwing for two long touchdowns, Arian Foster, Ben Tate and Derrick Ward running for touchdowns and the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense delivering another strong performance.
“We’re playing well as a team,” Schaub said after the Texans (7-3) won their fourth straight with star wide receiver Andre Johnson sidelined because of a hamstring injury, matching a franchise record set in 2009 to head into their bye week with their best record through 10 games.
“We have some playmakers on this offense,” Schaub said. “Defensively we’re playing really well. They’re holding teams, making them turn the ball over. They’re just playing exceptional football.”
A defense that’s made a dramatic turnaround under coordinator Wade Phillips had four sacks, three interceptions and a fumble recovery.
“It was important today that we got to this point,” said Texans coach Gary Kubiak. “We’ve been working really hard. . . . We had five or six players that missed a whole week of practice and they lined up and played. We’ve got a good team thing going on right now.”
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers (4-5) have lost three straight and four of five after their 3-1 start.
Steelers 24, Bengals 17
CINCINNATI — Rashard Mendenhall ran for a pair of touchdowns, and Pittsburgh intercepted Bengals rookie QB Andy Dalton twice in the fourth quarter.
Dalton handled most of what Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau threw at him. He had two touchdown passes, giving him 14 overall — the most by a rookie quarterback in his first nine games since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.
At the end, a Steelers defense that’s finally getting healthy and forcing turnovers got to him. Cornerback William Gay anticipated a Dalton pass and stepped in front of Jerome Simpson for a clinching interception inside the Pittsburgh 20 with 2:27 left.
Cardinals 21, Eagles 17
PHILADELPHIA — John Skelton threw a 5-yard TD pass to Early Doucet with 1:53 left as Philadelphia (3-6) blew a fourth- quarter lead for the fifth time this season.
Starting for the injured Kevin Kolb, Skelton threw three touchdown passes to lead the Cardinals (3-6). Larry Fitzgerald had two TD catches and made a sensational, over-the-shoulder diving catch to set up the go-ahead points.
The defending NFC East champion Eagles have lost seven of their past eight home games.
Bears 37, Lions 13
CHICAGO — Charles Tillman and Major Wright returned interceptions for touchdowns early in the third quarter and Chicago picked off Matthew Stafford four times.
The four interceptions by Stafford matched his season total entering the game and helped knock the Lions (6-3) into a second-place tie with Chicago in the NFC North. Stafford was involved in a skirmish that led to an ejection of Chicago’s D.J. Moore early in the fourth quarter.
Titans 30, Panthers 3
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Chris Johnson ran for a season-high 130 yards and a touchdown, and Tennessee used a stifling defense to frustrate rookie QB Cam Newton.
The Titans (5-4) sacked Newton five times and took away Carolina’s long passing game. Carolina (2-7) came in ranked fifth in the league on offense and first in plays of 20-plus yards, but the Titans limited Newton to 209 yards passing and held Steve Smith, the NFC’s leading receiver, to 33 yards.
Johnson had 174 yards from scrimmage and eclipsed 100 yards rushing for the first time since Oct. 2.
Cowboys 44, Bills 7
ARLINGTON, Texas — Tony Romo guided touchdown drives on his first four possessions, throwing for scores on three of them, and Terence Newman returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown.
The Cowboys (5-4) have won consecutive games and could be at the start of a big surge. Their next three opponents went into the weekend a combined 6-18.
Dolphins 20, Redskins 9
MIAMI — Miami twice intercepted Rex Grossman to earn its first home victory in nearly a year and end a franchise- record streak of seven consecutive losses in Miami since last Nov. 14.
Rams 13, Browns 12
CLEVELAND — Phil Dawson missed a 22-yard field goal after a bounced snap with just over two minutes left in the game.
Jaguars 17, Colts 3
INDIANAPOLIS — Rookie Blaine Gabbert threw for a touchdown and Maurice Jones-Drew ran for a TD as Indianapolis remained the NFL’s last winless team, dropping to 0-10 for the first time since 1997.
