Reiseplan » areas. He was rarely asked to drop into pass coverage at Aub

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- When Big Ben doesnt have his `A Game, the Pittsburgh Steelers showed they have a more than capable Plan B in continuing their late-season playoff push.Thats `B as in Bell.With quarterback Ben Roethlisberger struggling once again with his accuracy on the road, the Steelers resorted to handing the ball off to LeVeon Bell in sparking a 27-20 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.Despite a slick, snow-covered field, Bell had no trouble with his footing to score three times and set a franchise record with 236 yards rushing.The Steelers (8-5) won their fourth in a row to keep pace in the AFC playoff hunt.How much can I appreciate it? About as much as any Steeler fan. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome, Roethlisberger said of Bells performance. When youre running the ball as well as you do, might as well stick to it.After Roethlisberger threw two of his three interceptions in the first half, the Steelers opened the third quarter fully committed to feed Bell.He delivered by rushing nine times for 72 yards and cap an 82-yard drive by waltzing into the end zone untouched from 5 yards out to put the Steelers ahead 21-7 . Add in 62 yards receiving, Bell accounted for 298 of Pittsburghs 460 yards, and he single-handedly outgained Buffalos 275 yards.The loss left Buffalo (6-7) on the fringes of contention and placed the team in jeopardy of extending the NFLs longest playoff drought to 17 seasons.The Bills faltered on both sides of the ball, raising questions about the futures of both coach Rex Ryan and quarterback Tyrod Taylor beyond this season.Ryan was noncommittal in saying, well see, when asked whether Taylor will remain his starter.Ryan was defiant when asked about whether he deserved a shot to continue on the job beyond his second season.What do you think Im going to say? Youre dang right I do, Ryan said. It hasnt gone exactly the way I wanted it to go, thats obvious. But we have three games left and well try to win every one of them.BAD BENThough Roethlisberger improved to 4-3 on the road this season, he continues to struggle away from the friendly confines of Heinz Field.Roethlisberger went 17 for 31 for 220 yards against Buffalo, and is 147 of 247 for 1,618 yards with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions on the road. Hes 4-1 at home, where he is 136 of 193 for 1,636 with 17 touchdowns and three interceptions.HITTING 100Steelers coach Mike Tomlins regular-season record improved to 100-57, making him the 40th NFL coach and third with Pittsburgh to reach 100 wins.I congratulated him. I gave him the game ball, Roethlisberger said. Theres a lot of coaches that have coached this game and probably wish they had 100 wins, for him to get it, its awesome.The no-nonsense Tomlin didnt think much of the milestone, saying: It means Ive been here awhile.NO OFFENSEThe Bills had minus-1 yard through two series in the first quarter, becoming the NFLs first team this season to have negative yards through the first 15 minutes.Buffalo didnt get into positive yardage until its first snap of the second quarter, when LeSean McCoy had a 9-yard run.Buffalo combined for seven first downs and 87 yards net offense on its first nine possessions. That included Sammy Watkins 8-yard touchdown catch set up by Stephon Gilmore returning Roethlisbergers second interception to the Pittsburgh 7 midway through the second quarter.Taylor finished 15 of 25 for 228 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.Definitely didnt play my best, Taylor said. I let the team down a couple of plays, but gotta move forward.NO DEFENSEThough the Bills had three interceptions, not much else went right on defense.Bells 236 yards rushing were the most allowed by Buffalo in team history. That eclipsed the 224 yards set by Miamis Ricky Williams on Dec. 1, 2002. The Bills also allowed 200 yards rushing twice this season, after Miamis Jay Ajayi had 214 in the Dolphins 28-25 win in October.Its very hard to swallow, cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman said. I dont know how to take this right now. But its going to take some time.SACK ATTACKLinebacker Bud Dupree had two of Pittsburghs five sacks. The Steelers have 31 sacks this season, with 18 coming in their past four games.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Qadree Ollison Youth Jersey . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Chris Lindstrom Falcons Jersey . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. http://www.falconsrookiestore.com/Falcons-Qadree-Ollison-Jersey/ . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. Deion Sanders Youth Jersey . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Kendall Sheffield Jersey . The visitors took a deserved lead in the 16th minute with midfielder Yohan Cabaye curling the ball beyond Adrian from inside the penalty area. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Dee Ford was a bust, a laughingstock in Kansas City, the punchline to jokes that usually referenced broken-down pickup trucks and ended up with them never getting where they were supposed to go.That was last year. Things have changed this year.Now, the 2014 first-round pick is among the league leader in sacks, the emerging star for a defense that has pushed the Chiefs into AFC West contention, and hes the one having all the laughs.Thats human nature for athletes: The more you play, if you work hard, you get better at things the second time you do it and the third time you do it, Ford said. But every player doesnt get better every game, but hard workers do. Its a testament to that.The Chiefs were roundly criticized for drafting Ford with the 23rd overall pick two years ago, when he was rated a second- or third-round talent by many. The Chiefs already had Justin Houston and Tamba Hali at outside linebacker and many other needs on a team in the midst of a rebuild.Those critics only grew louder when Ford rarely got on the field as a rookie.But when Houston got hurt late last season, Ford was pressed into the starting lineup. He responded with three sacks in a game against Oakland and another in the regular-season finale against San Diego, then helped Kansas City win its first playoff game in more than 20 years.That first-round pick nobody seemed to want? Hes been crucial to a 6-2 start.Thats because Houston wound up needing surgery in February for a malfunctioning ACL, and he isnt expected back for at least a few more weeks. Ford has been starting in his place, providing the only real pass rush for a defense that has been carrying Kansas City most of the season.Hes been playing hard. Hes giving you good, hard snaps, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. Its a tribute to him. Hes taken a lot of heat, so its good for him to get a little bit of taste of this.Ford has had at least a partial sack in five of the Chiefs first eight games, including a 3 1/2-sack performance on Oct. 30 in Indianapolis. He also had the Chiefs only two sacks in a 19-14 win over Jacksonville on Sunday, and nearly had a third when Blake Bortles managed to throw the ball away.ddddddddddddHis fourth career multi-sack game gave him nine sacks on the season. Thats only a half-sack off Von Millers league lead and was tied with Buffalos Lorenzo Alexander heading into the Bills game Monday night.Theres no way in our league that you can be an effective rusher unless youre just relentless. It just cant be done, Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton said. He has such great speed that if a quarterback does step up or does step out, even if its away from him, he can track them down. You have to be relentless within the play, and then, relentless within the game.One reason for his success rushing the quarterback is his vast improvement in other areas. He was rarely asked to drop into pass coverage at Auburn, and he struggled to set the edge against the running game when he made it to the NFL. But shoring up those areas has made him a more complete player.As a result, Ford stays on the field more and has more opportunities to get after the quarterback.A year ago I think he started to become a better overall player -- the run game, pass coverage, all that, Sutton said. Then, I think this year, hes kept that thing going and made some really big plays for us in the pass game. Now, I think hes taking his pass rush game and hes improved that.Game notes Reid said QB Alex Smith will start Sunday at Carolina. Nick Foles replaced him against Jacksonville after Smith sustained a head injury against Indianapolis. ... RB Spencer Ware could be ready to face Carolina if he passes the leagues concussion protocol, Reid said. Ware was inactive Sunday. ... There is an outside chance Houston (knee surgery) will play this week. He will be added to the roster by the deadline Wednesday, unless he experiences a setback.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '