Russell Wilson throws for a season-high 414 yards and 3 TDs as the Steelers top the Bengals 44-38

CINCINNATI (AP) — Russell Wilson threw for a season-high 414 yards and three touchdowns, and the Pittsburgh Steelers outlasted Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals 44-38 on Sunday.

Wilson logged the second-most passing yards and the third 400-yard game of his career. He threw for 452 yards for Seattle against Houston on Oct. 29, 2017.

Wilson finished 29 for 38 as the Steelers (9-3) rebounded from losing to the Browns 24-19 in a Nov. 21 game in the snow in Cleveland. He also threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown in the first quarter.

The Bengals (4-8) lost for the fourth time in five games. They also dropped to 1-5 at home, increasing the likelihood that they will miss the playoffs for the second straight year.

Najee Harris had a 10-yard touchdown run and Chris Boswell kicked two field goals to help Pittsburgh to a 27-21 halftime lead. It was the highest scoring first half in the 110 meetings between the longtime rivals. Wilson had 257 yards passing for his best total in a first half in his career.

Harris finished with 75 yards rushing and 54 yards receiving. George Pickens, Calvin Austin III and Pat Freiermuth caught TD passes for the Steelers.

Burrow continued his terrific season, going 28 for 38 for 309 yards and three more touchdowns. He hurt his own cause when he fumbled in the first half, leading to a Steelers field goal, and threw a second-half interception.

Burrow fumbled again in the fourth quarter when he was sacked by Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig, and linebacker Payton Wilson ran it back 21 yards for a TD.

Chase Brown rushed for a touchdown for Cincinnati. Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Andrei Iosivas each had a TD reception.

The Bengals have allowed 34 or more points in six games this season, including four of the last five.

Austin III was declared out with a head injury in the second half.

Steelers: Host Cleveland next Sunday.

Bengals: At Dallas on Monday, Dec. 9.

AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) celebrates with wide receiver Mike Williams (18) after scoring a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth, right, scores a touchdown ahead of Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Josh Newton (28) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) runs the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens reacts after being flagged with unsportsmanlike conduct during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens, right, reacts after being flagged with unsportsmanlike conduct during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle B.J. Hill (92) reacts after defensive end Joseph Ossai blocked a field goal against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end MyCole Pruitt is tackled by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt (57) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) is tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee, second from left, during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, third from left, holds DeShon Elliott (25) away from Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee (23) tackles Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, center top, during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looks for an open receiver during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) prepares to pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth (not shown) for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

LOWVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — Heavy snowfall and numbing temperatures kept parts of the U.S. in a deep freeze Sunday as the Thanksgiving holiday weekend drew to a close. Some snowmobilers and skiers reveled in the wintry conditions, while flinty fans prepared for the NFL game in Buffalo.

In the remote Tug Hill region of upstate New York, where lake-effect snow off Lake Ontario can dump several feet of snow at a time, there was up to 46 inches (117 centimeters) in the Barnes Corners area.

“We just keep digging out,” said Kevin Tyo, a local businessman. “We were out all day yesterday, plowing.” Like many locals, he has a plow attached to his truck for winter, “and I have a tractor with a bucket, and a snowblower.”

His advice? “If you’re not used to it, stay home. If you’re out, slow down.”

Lake-effect snow is caused when warm, moist air is blown across a body of water and mixes with colder, drier air, creating narrow bands of often heavy snow on land. Pileups can be quick: The U.S. military’s Fort Drum, near hard-hit Watertown, New York, issued an alert saying up to 19 inches (48 centimeters) of daytime snow could fall Sunday.

Commercial vehicles remained banned in both directions of I-90 in western New York along a nearly 134-mile stretch to the Pennsylvania line.

In Buffalo, officials with the NFL’s Bills had sought stadium snow shovelers for the season, including ahead of Sunday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. The team said it would pay $20 per hour and provide food and hot drinks.

The lake-effect storm began hitting the area Saturday near the Bills’ stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Snow was falling near the stadium hours ahead of the game, and the state department of transportation and others planned “intensive” plowing of nearby roads until late in the game.

Another one to two feet (about 30 to 60 centimeters) of snow were possible in western New York, and another two to three feet were possible in northern New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said Sunday.

Christine Schintzius set out Friday on clear roads with her 4- and 8-year-old sons and 12- and 15-year-old nieces from Wales, New York, southeast of Buffalo. They planned to attend a hockey tournament in Cleveland but instead found themselves snowbound for 19 hours inside a Honda Pilot.

They faced seemingly endless lines of stopped traffic, first on Interstate 90 near the New York-Pennsylvania border for nine hours, and again on Route 5 in Pennsylvania for 10 hours, until residents plowed them out.

“It was packed, there was tons of people, tons,” Schintzius said by phone Sunday.

While stuck on Route 5, Schintzius never turned off her car, afraid it wouldn’t start again in the cold. Two truckers checked on them during the night. In the morning the police checked in, along with a resident who walked the line of cars handing out muffins and making sure the stranded drivers had water.

“Thankfully, all of my kids, my nieces, all travel well,” said Schintzius, who had packed a cooler with lunch meats, snacks, yogurt and fruit. "And luckily I had still basically a full tank of gas.”

When they were finally free of the backup Saturday, Schintzius took a roundabout route home, avoiding the worst of the snow that was still falling.

“I was worried, like, I’m not getting stuck in that ever again,” she said.

A blast of Arctic air last week brought bitter temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below average to the Northern Plains, the National Weather Service said. Frigid air was expected to move over the eastern third of the U.S. by Monday, with temperatures about 10 degrees below average.

Officials in Erie, Pennsylvania, said Sunday the lake-effect snow had produced “treacherous” conditions that caused even snowplows to get stuck as they work around the clock. The city estimated about 100 cars throughout the city were blocking roads and needed to be towed out of the way of plows. Due to the snow emergency in the City of Erie, City Hall will be closed to the public on Monday and Tuesday.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a disaster emergency proclamation Saturday and said parts of Erie County in the northwest received nearly 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow, with more expected through Monday night.

Pennsylvania State Police responded to nearly 200 incidents during the 24-hour period from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, officials said.

Parts of Michigan were battered by lake-effect snow as bands rolling off Lake Superior buried parts of the Upper Peninsula under 2 feet (61 centimeters) or more, said Lily Chapman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

There were 27 inches (69 centimeters) of snow northeast of Ironwood, in the Upper Peninsula’s western reaches. Over a foot (30.5 centimeters) could fall over the eastern Upper Peninsula through Monday morning, Chapman said Saturday.

Gaylord, Michigan, received 24.8 inches (63 centimeters) of snow Friday, setting a single-day record for the city in a region dotted by ski resorts.

Joseph Delizio, a meteorologist based in Gaylord, said heavy snow, especially lake-effect snow, isn’t unusual this time year, “but that magnitude certainly is not.”

A light dusting of snow fell across eastern Kentucky and West Virginia, making a beautiful backdrop for Christmas decorations and good practice for road crews.

Over the next few days, lows in the Appalachians are expected to dip between 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-12 to -7 degrees Celsius).

Thompson contributed from Buffalo. Ron Todt in Philadelphia, Sophia Tareen in Chicago, and Susan Haigh in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed.

People walk in lake-effect snow on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Lowville, N.Y. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)

A stadium worker arrives at Highmark Stadium for a Sunday Night Football game between the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Snow is cleared from a Highmark Stadium parking lot for a Sunday Night Football game between the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Snow falls in Lowville, N.Y., on Sunday Dec, 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)

Utility crews fuel up during a snow storm in Lowville, N.Y., on Sunday Dec, 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)

Vehicles are covered during a snow storm in Lowville, N.Y., on Sunday Dec, 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)

Icicles form over a flag during a snow storm, in Lowville, N.Y., on Sunday Dec, 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)

A vehicle drives on a snowy street in Lowville, N.Y., on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)

A person clears the snow from the sidewalk in Lowville, N.Y., on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)

A person clears the snow from the sidewalk in Lowville, N.Y., on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)

Snow is cleared from the streets in Lowville, N.Y., on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)

Snow falls on Highmark Stadium and surrounding parking lots in Orchard Park, NY., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. The Buffalo Bills play the San Franciso 49ers at Highmark Stadium on Sunday Night Football, Sunday, Dec 1, 2024 at 8:20p. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Drivers take advantage of the lull between lake-effect snowfalls in Lowville, N.Y., on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)

A person clears the snow from the sidewalk in Lowville, N.Y., on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)