CINCINNATI (AP) - AJ McCarron overcame a rough start and threw a pair of touchdown passes Sunday, rallying the Cincinnati Bengals to a 24-16 victory over the Baltimore Ravens that kept them in the running for a playoff bye.
The Bengals (12-4) matched the best record in franchise history - they also won 12 games during the 1981 and 1988 seasons when they reached the Super Bowl - and left their playoff seeding up to the later games.
The AFC North champions wasted a chance to clinch the No. 2 seed when they lost in Denver 20-17 on Monday night.
The Ravens (5-11) completed a season that went sour early with close losses and more injuries than any other team in the league.
Jeremy Hill ran for 96 yards and put the Bengals in control by breaking through the line for a 38-yard score on a fourth-and-1 play in the third quarter.
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