Nov 29, 2015 6 min read

As the touchdown passes and interceptions piled up, it felt like a throwback game for the Bengals.

Andy Dalton threw three touchdown passes – two of them to A.J. Green – and Cincinnati emerged from its brief skid with an effort reminiscent of its perfect first half of the season, beating the St. Louis Rams 31-7 Sunday.

After dropping a pair of close prime-time games, the Bengals (9-2) were back in sync against a team that struggles to score and keep up. The 31 points equaled the second-most against St. Louis this season.

In addition to Dalton’s three touchdowns, the Bengals had three interceptions, including one that Leon Hall returned for a touchdown.

“I felt like we played well in all phases of the game,” Dalton said. “It’s good to get a win, and it’s good to get a win the way we did.”

The Rams (4-7) have dropped four in a row, in large part because their offense ranks last in the league in passing. They switched quarterbacks last week, but Case Keenum got a head injury during a 16-13 loss in Baltimore and was limited in practice.

Nick Foles, who started the first nine games, returned. The most costly of his three interceptions came when he avoided the rush and floated a pass that Hall picked off and returned 19 yards for a touchdown.

“They’re not always going to be like this, but it’s nice to kind of control the game, especially the way we did,” Dalton said.

The Bengals have limited opponents to 10 points or less in four of the last five games. They were coming off a 34-31 loss at Arizona that was their low point defensively this season.

“We need to stick to our identity,” defensive end Carlos Dunlap said. “Success is precious. You just have to stick to what you do.”

Minnesota 20, Atlanta 10: Adrian Peterson ran for 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns, Matt Ryan threw two more interceptions for the Vikings in a 20-10 win over Atlanta.

Bouncing back from a 30-13 loss to Green Bay, Minnesota (8-3) jumped ahead on Peterson’s 1-yard run in the opening quarter, and clinched it when he got loose on a 35-yard scamper down the sideline with 4:15 remaining in the game.

Atlanta (6-5) has lost five of its past six, including four straight, and is in danger of becoming one of the few teams in NFL history to start 5-0 and miss the playoffs.

Arizona 19, San Francisco 13: Carson Palmer ran for a go-ahead 8-yard touchdown with 2:28 left and tumbled after spiking the ball, and Arizona squeaked by San Francisco, 19-13.

It was the Cardinals’ fifth straight win and first road victory in the series since September 2008.

Moments earlier, Palmer fell backward as he released the ball and completed a 34-yard pass to J.J. Nelson to put Arizona on the 1.

Chandler Catanzaro missed the extra-point try, and Blaine Gabbert and the 49ers (3-8) had one more chance with 2:21 left. Anquan Boldin caught an 18-yard pass on fourth-and-20 to clinch the win for Arizona.

Indianapolis 25, Tampa Bay 12: Matt Hasselbeck threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns and Adam Vinatieri made four more field goals for the Colts in a 25-12 victory over Tampa Bay.

The Colts (6-5) won their third straight to remain tied atop the AFC South with Houston.

Tampa Bay rookie Jameis Winston threw for 245 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked five times four coming during a second half in which the Bucs (5-6) were shut out.

Indy took the lead for good on Hasselbeck’s 9-yard TD pass to T.Y. Hilton midway through the third quarter. It extended the margin to 19-12 on Vinatieri’s fourth field goal.

N.Y. Jets 38, Miami 20: Ryan Fitzpatrick threw four touchdown passes, two to Brandon Marshall, and the Jets gained some traction in the AFC wild-card race during a 38-20 win over Miami.

Fitzpatrick also connected with rookie Devin Smith and Eric Decker in New York’s fourth win in the last five meetings with Miami. The Jets (6-5) had lost four of their past five overall.

Miami (4-7) has dropped four of five and is 3-4 under interim coach Dan Campbell, who took over after Joe Philbin was fired following the Dolphins’ lopsided loss to the Jets in London.

Washington 20, N.Y. Giants 14: Kirk Cousins threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson and scored on a quarterback sneak, Washington intercepted Eli Manning three times, and the Redskins pulled into a tie for the NFC East lead after a 20-14 win over the New York Giants.

The Redskins and Giants are both 5-6. The Philadelphia Eagles (4-7) and Dallas Cowboys (3-8) are the other members of the mediocre division.

It was the 20th three-interception game of Manning’s career.

Oakland 24, Tennessee 21: Derek Carr threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Seth Roberts with 1:21 left, and Oakland ended a three-game losing streak with a 24-21 win over Tennessee.

The Raiders (5-6) handed the Titans (2-9) their ninth loss in 10 games. Tennessee had taken a 21-17 lead and thought they had a game-saving play when safety Michael Griffin broke up a pass in the end zone on fourth down. But officials flagged B.W. Webb for holding on the other side of the field.

Two plays later, Carr hit Roberts for the winning touchdown. Carr finished with 330 yards and three TDs in his sixth 300-yard passing game this season.

Kansas City 30, Buffalo 22: Alex Smith threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns, Spencer Ware ran for 114 yards and a score, and the Chiefs won their fifth straight, 30-22 over Buffalo.

Jeremy Maclin had nine receptions for 160 yards and a touchdown, and Cairo Santos hit three field goals for the Chiefs (6-5).

Tyrod Taylor had 291 yards passing and three touchdowns for Buffalo (5-6), but he was mostly held in check in the second half. So was Sammie Watkins, who had all six catches for 158 yards and his two touchdowns over the first 30 minutes.

San Diego 31, Jacksonville 25: Philip Rivers threw four touchdown passes, two to Antonio Gates, and the Chargers ended a six-game losing streak. Rivers passed Joe Montana (273) and tied Vinny Testaverde (275) for 11th on the NFL’s TD pass list.

Houston 24, New Orleans 6: Brian Hoyer threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns and the Texans held Drew Breese and New Orleans without a touchdown for the first time in 10 years in a 24-6 win.

The Texans (6-5) have won four games in a row for the first time since winning six straight in 2012.