WJPA Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Bryan Rust scored a power-play goal at 3:02 of overtime and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0. Rust controlled a bouncing puck at the top of the crease and fired it past Joonas Korpisalo for the winner and his 10th goal of the year. Tristan Jarry stopped 17 shots for his third shutout in his last four appearances.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Only minutes removed from watching his team roll to its 10th consecutive victory, coach John Harbaugh showed up to the post-game news conference wearing a white hat proclaiming Baltimore to be AFC North champions. No small accomplishment, winning that tough division two years in a row. “We’re very proud of that,” Harbaugh said. “It’s our first goal. Not our top goal.” Indeed. After Lamar Jackson ran and passed the Ravens past the New York Jets 42-21 on Thursday night, the shirt he wore reflected the feeling of just about everyone associated with the team that owns the best record in the NFL. “THE NORTH IS NOT ENOUGH,” yelled the sentiment in capital letters. Yes, the Ravens have another division title after they clinched a playoff berth four days earlier in Buffalo. With a victory next week in Cleveland, the Ravens will be assured the top seed in the AFC, a distinction that comes with home-field advantage leading up to the Super Bowl. Super Bowl. That’s the target. Victories in December are merely steps in that direction. “We just have to keep it going,” Jackson said. “The job is not over,” safety Earl Thomas said. “We got a couple more goals in front of us.” Jackson threw five touchdown passes and scurried into the NFL record book. He’s only started 21 games as a professional, yet Jackson looks like he’s been doing it forever. Baltimore (12-2) took control with touchdowns on its first three possessions and Jackson made it 28-7 in the third quarter with a 24-yard scoring pass to rookie Marquise Brown following a turnover by New York (5-9). Jackson ran for 86 yards (on eight carries) to break Michael Vick’s single-season record for a quarterback (1,039 for Atlanta in 2006). Jackson has 1,108 yards rushing.

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Former college teammates Sean McDermott and Mike Tomlin will hold a reunion of sorts when the Buffalo Bills visit the Pittsburgh Steelers. McDermott and Tomlin played together at William & Mary in the early 1990s. Now they”re on opposing sidelines as the coaches of two teams trying to reach the playoffs. Buffalo can clinch a postseason spot with a win. Pittsburgh can rise to the top wild-card position in the AFC if they can pick up their eighth victory in their last nine games. The Bills are making their first prime-time appearance since 2007.