Pats hammer Texans

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The Houston Texans still have the AFC’s top record, but they were put on notice by the New England Patriots Monday night.

Tom Brady threw for 296 yards and four touchdowns as the Pats blasted the Texans 42-14 in Foxborough. Brady’s fourth scoring strike was a 63-yard bomb to Donte Stallworth that put the Patriots ahead 28-0 just over five minutes into the second half.

Texans quarterback Matt Schaub was 19 of 32 for 232 yards, no touchdowns and an interception as the 11-2 Texans ended a six-game winning streak.

The 10-3 Patriots are on a seven-game winning streak and have won their last 20 December home games.

49ers suspend RB Brandon Jacobs

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have suspended running back Brandon Jacobs for the final three games after a series of posts on social media sites addressing his lack of playing time.

One of those posts during the weekend said he was “on this team rotting away.”

The 30-year-old Jacobs has five carries for 7 yards while playing in only two games with the NFC West-leading Niners.

In other NFL News:

— Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan says Robert Griffin III has a Grade 1 sprain of a ligament in the right knee but might be able to play in next week’s game against the Cleveland Browns. The rookie quarterback was hit at the end of a scramble late in regulation in the Redskins’ 31-28 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens.

— Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler says he expects to play this week against Green Bay. Cutler left Sunday’s loss at Minnesota with a sore neck, but says he got treatment and “unless something drastic happens” he’ll be ready to go. Cutler missed a game last month with a concussion.

— Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy have passed concussion tests and could return to Eagles practice once they’ve been cleared by an independent neurologist. Vick has missed the last four games and McCoy the last three.

— Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe will miss next week’s game at Oakland with a rib injury, and coach Romeo Crennel says it’s possible Kansas City’s leading receiver is done for the season.

— The Jacksonville Jaguars say coach Mike Mularkey has been released from a hospital after a brief stay that included tests, but the team offered few other details. Mularkey showed up at the practice facility a day after his team’s 17-10 loss to the New York Jets and started feeling ill.

— Titans tight end Jared Cook has a torn right rotator cuff and will be placed on injured reserve for the final three games. Cook was hurt in Sunday’s 27-23 loss to Indianapolis.

— The Arizona Cardinals have claimed quarterback Brian Hoyer off waivers from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hoyer was with the Steelers for three weeks while Ben Roethlisberger was injured.

Heat keep division lead…Warriors continue road success

UNDATED (AP) — Dwyane Wade’s shooting percentage for the season sunk to 47% after he went 3-for-13 against the New York Knicks last Thursday. The Miami Heat guard is 20-for-25 in two games since then after scoring 26 points in a 101-92 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Wade shot a career-best 11-of-13 and helped the Heat hit 58 percent from the field. It came two nights after he scored 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting against New Orleans.

LeBron James had a team-high 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Heat stretched their lead in the NBA’s Southeast Division to 1 1/2 games over the Hawks.

Also in the NBA, Tony Parker had a triple-double of 27 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists as San Antonio outlasted Houston 134-126 in overtime. Gary Neal shot 7-for-10 from three-point range and finished with 29 points to help the Spurs overcome Jeremy Lin’s 38 points.

Dallas earned its 17th straight regular-season home win as O.J. Mayo scored 19 points and Chris Kaman added 18 in a 119-96 rout of Sacramento. The Mavericks took control with a 31-3 run in the first half of their third straight win.

Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge poured in 30 points and 12 rebounds to lead a 92-74 stifling of Toronto. DeMar DeRozan had 20 points for the Raptors, matching the combined total by the Raptors’ other starters.

Golden State was a 104-96 winner at Charlotte behind Stephen Curry’s 27 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. David Lee had 25 points and 11 boards for the Warriors, who are 14-7 after improving to 4-0 on their current seven-game road trip.

Jrue Holiday furnished a team-high 25 points in Philadelphia’s 104-97 triumph over Detroit. Evan Turner had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers, who shot 54 percent from the floor.

Ludwick stays put…Tigers agree to deal with C Pena…White Sox get Keppinger

UNDATED (AP) — Reds left fielder Ryan Ludwick is staying in Cincinnati. He’s signed a two-year, $15 million deal that includes a mutual option for the 2015 season. The 34-year-old batted .275 with 26 homers and 80 RBIs in 125 games last season. When first baseman Joey Votto got hurt at midseason, Ludwick emerged as one of the team’s most consistent run producers, helping the Reds win the NL Central for the second time in three years.

Elsewhere around the majors:

— The Detroit Tigers have agreed to a one-year contract with backup catcher Brayan Pena. Pena had a .236 batting average with two homers and 25 RBIs in 68 games last season for the Kansas City Royals.

— The Chicago White Sox say they have agreed to a three-year, $12 million contract with infielder Jeff Keppinger. Keppinger hit a career-high .325 in 115 games with Tampa Bay last season.

— The Pittsburgh Pirates have re-signed free agent reliever Jason Grilli to a two-year contract worth $6.75 million. The 36-year-old Grilli went 1-6 with a 2.91 ERA in 64 games this year, averaging 13.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

— The Toronto Blue Jays hired Pat Hentgen as their bullpen coach, bringing the Cy Young winner back into the team’s coaching ranks. Hentgen previously served as Toronto’s bullpen coach in 2011. He played 10 seasons in Toronto, winning the Cy Young in 1996.

Western Kentucky, Colorado, UTEP, land new coaches

UNDATED (AP) — Western Kentucky has hired Bobby Petrino as its new football coach.

The former Arkansas coach is replaces Willie Taggart, who left WKU Saturday to become South Florida’s coach.

Petrino had a 34-17 record at Arkansas, but was fired last spring for what the school called a “pattern of misleading” behavior following a motorcycle accident that revealed Petrino was having an extramarital affair.

Elsewhere:

— Mike MacIntyre is leaving San Jose State for a five-year contract to coach the University of Colorado football team. He’s being asked to turn around a program that’s had seven straight losing seasons, including a 1-11 record this year that was the worst in the program’s 123-year history.

— Former UTEP player Sean Kugler is returning to El Paso to become the Miners’ next coach. Kugler is the offensive line coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He replaces Mike Price, who led the Miners for nine seasons and retired last month.