Dak Prescott threw three touchdown passes, two to Dez Bryant, in the first game with Tony Romo as his backup, and the Dallas Cowboys set a franchise season record with their ninth straight win, beating the Baltimore Ravens 27-17.

The Cowboys (9-1) punted on their first four possessions — a first this season — against the NFL’s No1 defense. They marched 92 and 88 yards on their first two drives of the second half to break a 10-10 tie. Both drives ended with TD passes to Bryant, who had six catches for 80 yards.

Romo, who broke a bone in his back in a preseason game, was active for the first time since Thanksgiving last year, and was the Dallas backup for the first time in 10 years.

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The 36-year-old never took off his baseball cap, although he was watching with interest as medical personnel surrounded Prescott after the rookie went down hard on a late hit by CJ Mosley after throwing his first touchdown pass, to Cole Beasley in the second quarter.

Prescott bounced off the bench moments later and finished 27 of 36 for 301 yards for another 300-yard game a week after his first. He was 14 of 15 in the second half after the sluggish start for the Dallas offense.

The Ravens (5-5), who lost to Dallas for the first time in five games in franchise history, controlled the tempo most of the first half. Baltimore stayed close on Joe Flacco’s five-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter to Steve Smith, who became the 14th player with 1,000 career catches.

But Dallas’ third possession of the second half took more than six minutes before Dan Bailey’s 21-yard field goal for a 10-point lead with 1:50 remaining.

NFL rushing leader Ezekiel Elliott broke the Dallas club rookie rushing record of 1,007 yards set by Tony Dorsett in 1977. That’s the same year the Cowboys set the previous franchise mark with an 8-0 start. Dallas won the Super Bowl that season. Elliott had 97 yards to give him 1,102 this season.

Pittsburgh Steelers 24-9 Cleveland Browns

Le’Veon Bell scored on a one-yard touchdown run — long after time expired in the first half — and the Pittsburgh Steelers recorded eight sacks and snapped a four-game losing streak with a 24-9 win over the winless Cleveland Browns.

The Steelers (5-5) scored eight points with zeroes showing on the clock before halftime after they were awarded two extra plays because of defensive penalties against the Browns (0-11).

Steelers defensive tackle Javon Hargrave recovered a fumble by QB Josh McCown for a TD with 3:36 left to seal Pittsburgh’s win. The Steelers came in with a league-low 13 sacks before unloading on the Browns.

Bell finished with a season-high 146 yards rushing as the Steelers improved to 2-3 on the road and avoided an embarrassing loss to the NFL’s worst team.

Ben Roethlisberger improved to 20-2 in starts against Cleveland, still paying for not drafting the Ohio native in 2004. Making it worse, Roethlisberger’s 10 wins in Cleveland match Derek Anderson for the most home wins by a Browns quarterback since 1999.

Chicago Bears 16-22 New York Giants

Eli Manning threw a go-ahead 15-yard touchdown pass to rookie Sterling Shepard in the third quarter as the New York Giants rallied for their fifth straight win with a 22-16 decision over the Chicago Bears on a windy afternoon.

Manning (21 of 36 for 227) also threw a third-quarter touchdown to Will Tye, Rashad Jennings scored on a two-yard run and Robbie Gould kicked a 46-yard field goal on a day he missed two extra points in a gusty MetLife Stadium.

The Giants (7-3) got a second-half shutout from their defense and a game-clinching interception from Landon Collins as injuries on the offensive line finally caught up with the Bears (2-8) and left Jay Cutler under constant pressure.

The winning streak is New York’s longest in the regular season since 2010, while the Bears’ starts matches their worst since 2002.

Jacksonville Jaguars 19-26 Detroit Lions

Eric Ebron had a go-ahead, one-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter and the Detroit Lions went on to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-19

Ebron’s first carry of his career, a handoff as he went from left to right after lining up as an off-the-line tight end, was set up by his career-long, 61-yard catch. The Lions (6-4) have won five of six despite trailing in the fourth quarter of every game. For a change, Matthew Stafford didn’t have to lead a game-winning drive in the final minutes. Jacksonville (2-8) have lost five straight.

The Jaguars had a chance to force Detroit to punt, or to go for it on a fourth-and-three from their 46. Nose tackle Sen’Derrick Marks, though, was penalized for encroachment on a play in which Stafford probably didn’t intend to have the ball snapped. Stafford converted a third-and-five from the Jacksonville 36 with a seven-yard pass to Theo Riddick with 2:18 left that helped set up Matt Prater’s 43-yard field goal with 22 seconds left. Tavon Wilson sealed the victory with an interception with two seconds left.

Tennessee Titans 17-24 Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck led the Indianapolis Colts to a big early lead, and the defense held on in the second half for a 24-17 victory.

Indianapolis (5-5) evened their record by winning back-to-back games for the first time this season. And by earning their 11th straight victory in the series, the Colts climbed into second place in the AFC South. For Tennessee (5-6) , it was more frustration against an old nemesis.

Luck was 15 of 28 for 262 yards with two touchdowns and one interception as the Colts scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions for a 21-0 lead.

Tennessee rallied with a three-yard TD pass from Marcus Mariota to DeMarco Murray in the final minute of the first half and a 34-yard TD pass from Mariota to Tajae Sharpe midway through the third quarter. But the Titans never caught up. Their last gasp ended when Murray was stopped for no gain at the Colts 19-yard line with 2:42 to go.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19-17 Kansas City Chiefs

Jameis Winston sliced up a Kansas City defense missing top cornerback Marcus Peters, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers held on for a victory that snapped the Chiefs’ five-game winning streak.

Winston threw for 331 yards to help set up four field goals by Roberto Aguayo, and hit tight end Robert Cross for a touchdown with just over 6 minutes left to give the Buccaneers (5-5) a cushion.

The Chiefs (7-3) marched swiftly downfield, and Alex Smith hit Albert Wilson with a short touchdown pass with just over 2 minutes left. But their defense couldn’t stop Mike Evans on third-and-3 just moments later, and the big wide receiver’s sixth reception gave the Buccaneers a first down. By the time Kansas City finally forced a punt, there were eight seconds left in the game.

Buffalo Bills 16-12 Cincinnati Bengals

LeSean McCoy ran seven yards for a touchdown before suffering a thumb injury, and the Buffalo Bills got just enough out of their depleted offense, beating the Cincinnati Bengals 16-12.

The Bills (5-5) had lost three straight heading into their bye week. Their ragged win on Sunday preserved their hopes of a long-awaited playoff spot.

Playing their first game in nearly a month at Paul Brown Stadium, the Bengals (3-6-1) couldn’t move the ball consistently or make an extra point. They also lost receiver AJ Green to an injured right hamstring on the first pass of the game; he was taken off on a cart.

Buffalo’s defense clinched it by knocking down Andy Dalton’s desperation pass into the end zone on the final play. The Bengals managed only five first downs while being shut out in the second half.

The Bills lost two of their top offensive players in the first half. Receiver Robert Woods suffered a knee injury as he was tackled after a catch. McCoy hurt his left thumb late in the half. Buffalo also overcame a lot of self-destruction. The Bills had nine penalties for 75 yards. Tyrod Taylor threw an interception to Dre Kirkpatrick at the Bengals one-yard line late in the first half.

The Bengals had their own follies. Mike Nugent missed two extra points, hitting both off the upright. Nugent has missed three of his last seven PATs.